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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559437">Are They Gods or Monsters?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vendetta_Keres/pseuds/Vendetta_Keres'>Vendetta_Keres</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Are They Gods or Monsters? [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore, Lore Olympus (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Fluff and Angst, Horror, Medical Jargon, Multi, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:02:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>67,746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vendetta_Keres/pseuds/Vendetta_Keres</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What led up to the fateful day Artemis received that letter from the newly-named goddess of Spring? Why is he called Hades and not his birth name, Aidoneus? What turned sweet Kore into the clever Persephone? Are they gods or monsters?<br/>Considering original Greek mythology in conjunction with Lore Olympus, we answer the most pressing questions of the comic series and in mythology. Attempting to fill in blanks and show the real, beautiful love story of Hades and Persephone. This is going to be a long one so sit back and enjoy the storytelling.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amphitrite/Poseidon (Lore Olympus), Eros/Psyche (Lore Olympus), Hades/Minthe (Lore Olympus), Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus), Hera/Zeus (Lore Olympus)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Are They Gods or Monsters? [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Kore</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey all, Vendetta here!<br/>I hope you love this series. I have been working on this since June 2020 but have been waiting until I had a decent start before sharing. I am relatively new to sharing my fictional writing and am doing all of this work by myself so I wanted to make sure it was exactly how I wanted it to be for you all. I hope you all like it and I look forward to writing more for you!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"She will be created... not born... formed from the seed of a pomegranate, the pollen of the asphodel flower, and laid into the soil which nothing grows into, "The moirai began. The triplet’s eyes glowed a blinding white while flashes of blurred colors flew passed their faces like they were watching a film at lightning speed. "Once the seedling sprouts, she can be carried in the womb of a goddess and born like a normal child in due time."</p>
<p>"However, "Atropos made a pause to ensure all were listening, "being created rather than born comes with dire consequences. The child will have ties to the realm of her products’ creation. How that manifests are to be seen by fate."</p>
<p>A chill ran down Demeter's spine and she gulped what felt like a hard lump in the back of her throat. She feared that there might be consequences to creation, but it was too late. She had burned far too many bridges and trusted too few people. This would have to be a risk she would take if she wanted a daughter. </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Many months later in a wealthier neighborhood of the Underworld, Hades was waking up to the pulsating migraine that he had brought on by binge drinking the night before in combination with the obnoxious ringtone his youngest brother gave himself on his cellphone. The large man began to curse whichever god had the domain over hangovers and Zeus for choosing his ringtone to be one of Apollo’s attempts at electronic dance music. His dog, JP, who was a massive, fluffy, white, Great Pyrenees, had the lower half of his body pinned to the bed while he was blissfully sleeping on the god’s legs. Cerberus, the ever-shifting, three-headed dog who often resembled a giant, black Doberman Pincher, was awake and laid beside his master giving him a look of concern. This dog had lived centuries with Hades and the two could read each other well, so the dog could sense his master was in some sort of pain. </p>
<p>Still tiredly lying face down in the pillows, he reached one of his blue, muscular arms to the nightstand to grab is iPomegranate X and answered the phone. “What do you want, brother.” He groaned, his voice still sounding muffled from being face-first into the pillows. </p>
<p>“Ahoy, ahoy, good morning to you too brother,” Zeus said cheerily on the other end of the line, completely ignoring the sound of exhaustion in his brother’s voice. “I am just checking to make sure you are coming to the party we are having for Demeter, today?”</p>
<p>Hades raised his head, so his chin now rested on top of the pillow. “Why would I go to a party for Demeter? The woman hates me. I sent her a gift anyways for whatever this is for. What is this for anyway? Birthday? A harvest thing?” He rolled his vermillion orbs thinking how stupid it was to invite him to something for his sister who never seemed to like him no matter how hard he tried to get along with her. </p>
<p>There was a pause for a moment at the other end of the line before Zeus spoke. “You are lucky Poseidon checked the gift you sent just now. You would have just sent whiskey as a gift to a baby shower, you big blue idiot.” Zeus chuckled, struggling to contain his laughter. </p>
<p>“Wait, Demeter had a baby?” Hades sat up in surprise, waking JP up in the process. “Brother, did you…” He trailed.</p>
<p>“No! It was not me! Hera is already angry thinking it was me, but this one is not mine.” Zeus’ answered quickly with a raised voice. Poseidon could be heard bellowing in laughter from the other end of the line knowing what Hades just asked him. “Demeter will not tell anyone who the father is, but the child is a full-blooded goddess.”</p>
<p>Hades was quiet. He had no idea what to say. His brain was still moving at the speed of a snail due to the migraine and he knew his brother was telling the truth. Zeus was a man-whore, but he always told the truth when he found out he had a child. He loved all of his children and wanted to make sure they knew they were half king of the sky. It was even more shocking because Demeter swore off men and she loathed having to share any part of her life with one. She wanted to make every decision on her terms. </p>
<p>Zeus spoke again.” As you know, you must be here to help bless the new goddess. I will handle Demeter.” He deadpanned.</p>
<p>The king of the dead let out a loud groan. “Fine, I will see you and Posie in an hour.” Then he hung up.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Getting ready for a party and socializing while hungover was not anything new to the god of the dead. He had a system for it after over a century of his brothers being avid partiers. He would have liked to have stayed home and relaxed with his dogs but like every other day off he had, his brothers had interrupted for some party, family brunch, or adventure, but that was his curse for being the only introvert and practical one among the three. He took some pills for the migraine, fed his seven dogs, showered, dressed, dropped Cordon Bleu, and Russel off at the dog daycare, picked up a much more appropriate gift for a newborn (a sterling silver rattle with gems and floral designs and a few floral gowns). Now he was presentable with a gift at hand and had his migraine slightly under control, driving to Zeus’ estate at the top of Olympus. Hades could only imagine how much coaxing it took on Hera’s part to get Demeter to agree to this party, let alone coming to Olympus. </p>
<p>Regardless, it was one of the rules and rituals Gaia and Rhea wished for the gods to keep throughout the centuries with every new, full-blooded immortal infant. They would be welcomed and receive gifted blessings by the big six (Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Hades) and the appointed Olympians (Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Hephaestus). Gaia believed it gave the gods more unique powers than what can be given from their lone godhead. Rhea believed the rite helped to unify the gods by each giving them gifts that bonded them in part to each of their domains. The azure god stared blankly at the road, smiling about how much his mother loved to enforce the idea of family and unification. Their mother wanted to make sure that the gods stayed a family for many millennia to come. </p>
<p>The black sports car pulled up to the golden gates of Zeus’ mansion. Hades rolled down the window and waved to the green daemon manning the security gate. The daemon nodded in acknowledgment and pressed a button to open the gate, which slid to the side allowing Hades to pull forward and park alongside the other several cars that were parked in the large circle drive. </p>
<p>Before he even reached the first step of the front stoop of the house, the door swung open and the lean, green figure of his second youngest brother, Poseidon was there. “Hey man, about time you got here.”</p>
<p>“Hey, “Hades greeted at his lesser annoying brother, “thanks for pulling that whiskey from the gift pile.” They both walked into the home and Hades hung up his wool coat and leather gloves. </p>
<p>“No worries. Zeus now has something to drink while Hera isn’t giving him the death glare.” Poseidon smiled while rolling his jaded eyes. He led the way to the back yard where Hera’s garden was and where the other fourteen or so people were mingling, congratulating Demeter, or meeting the new child. </p>
<p>“You don’t think its Zeus’ do you?” Hades raised his brow and studied Poseidon’s face. His younger brother’s emerald hair was down in its natural waves today and, as always, he carried a calm, genuine demeanor. Poseidon was rarely stern. </p>
<p>“No, “Poseidon laughed. “Our brother is an idiot but he always admits when a child is his.”</p>
<p>Hades nodded in agreement. Now they were at the gift table, where Hades dropped off his new gift. Looking in the distance, the two gods could see Zeus trying to mingle with Demeter and Demeter’s skin visibly turning a darker shade of green by the minute. In his hand was a cup that looked like soda, but likely had the whiskey Hades accidentally gifted mixed into it. Hera was at the opposite side of the garden holding a small, white bundle in her arms talking with Amphitrite. From the looks of it, all of the gods were here now, Hades was the last one to arrive. </p>
<p>Poseidon left his elder brother to try and diffuse the situation between Demeter and Zeus before it escalated. Hades decided to grab a seat at an empty table and watch the scene unfold from a distance. That was until he felt a seat close by him shift.</p>
<p>“I need to talk to you.” A male voice spoke. The voice was familiar to Hades and he had a feeling who it was by the level of entitlement in the boy’s voice and by how he felt his migraine coming back.</p>
<p>The blue king’s eyes shifted crimson as he turned around in his chair to face the table and turned his back to the scene between his three siblings. In the seat across the table was his nephew, Apollo. The younger god was shorter and leaner than Hades with violet skin and hair but had eyes that glowed amber due to his abilities as the god of the sun. Hades had a pretty good guess what the god wanted to talk about. “What can I help you with, dear nephew.” He replied coldly. </p>
<p>Apollo’s face was scrunched in anger. “You cannot just kick me out of your realm. I am a god. I have business in all of the realms.” He growled. </p>
<p>“You want to argue about this at your misandrist aunt’s baby shower.” Hades rolled his eyes. “Your father may bail you out of trouble whenever you are brought on charges of rape, abuse, assault, and whatever else your dumb purple ass does, but I have subjects who are affected by your bullshit, Apollo. I won’t have any of that in my kingdom.” He said in a quiet hiss that could only be heard between the two of them. Hades had been patient with Zeus and Apollo for the last decade. Zeus claiming Apollo was just going through ‘a troubled-kid phase’ and continuously bailing his son out anytime he was arrested. Eventually, the complaints began to reach Hades when it seemed at least an eighth of his subjects had a story about the god in one form or another disrupting the peace in his realm. Zeus would still not control his entitled son, so Hades finally put his foot down.</p>
<p>“You can’t do that! I will just get my father to change the rule.” Apollo said with a malicious grin. “I have a girlfriend I need to see down there.”</p>
<p>Hades almost fell out of his chair bellowing in laughter at the naïve entitlement of his brother’s son. The laughter was not helping his migraine but it was giving his abdomen a workout. <em> Zeus and his mistresses need to start teaching their children some respect </em>, Hades thought to himself.</p>
<p>The younger god’s eyes began to glow in frustration and confusion at why the god of the dead was suddenly mocking him.” I’m serious Grandpa Winter. I’ll ask him.” The young god’s voice was shaking, he almost wanted to yell. </p>
<p>Wiping a tear of joy from laughing so hard off of his cheek, Hades grinned darkly at his nephew. “You do that, and either Zeus will laugh too or I will tell him to fuck off because, last I checked, I’m the king of the Underworld. Not your dad.” He let out a few more chuckles. “It's not going to happen. You are officially banned from the Underworlds borders.”</p>
<p>Apollo’s eyes glowed amber and his face was contorted in a position of restrained rage. Unlike other gods, Apollo had to manage his anger to an extent to prevent releasing his sun god powers on his surroundings, lighting things ablaze. He abruptly stood from his chair and walked away straight towards where Hades assumed his twin sister, Artemis, would be. </p>
<p>Turning back around in his chair to see how his three siblings were, he saw that Demeter was now calmly talking with Hestia and Athena and Poseidon had dragged Zeus away to finally talk things over with Hera, who was still holding the baby. The talk looked to at least be civil since everyone looked composed and because both Poseidon and Amphitrite were there to mediate the conversation. It must have not been perfect, however, because after several minutes of talking, Hera’s face darkened to almost a bronzy tone and she walked away holding the babe firmly in her arms. Before Zeus could follow suit to resume the conversation, Hera yelled for all to gather and take turns to bless the child. </p>
<p>Being the King of the gods, Zeus was first to approach the child resting alone in her bassinette. He rested his large, plum-colored palm on the baby’s forehead and allowed for a golden glow to halo around the child’s head. “Kore, as the god of the sky, thunder, lightning, and legends, I give you the blessing of having a story that will be told till the end of time.”</p>
<p><em> Kore?  </em> Hades wondered questionably.  <em> There are so many beautiful names with so many beautiful meanings, yet Demeter chooses a simple word used by the mortals meaning ‘maiden’. </em></p>
<p>Hera followed suit, scowling at her husband as he walked past her. Everyone must have been worried about how the queen of the gods would retaliate for her husband’s believed infidelity, but instead, she surprised them all. “Kore, as the queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage, I want to bless you with the one thing many of us in this room will never have.” She said this while still staring daggers at her husband. “Kore, darling, I bless you to have the most perfect marriage in the entire pantheon.” There was another golden halo around the child’s head and collected gasps from some of the other gods. As the queen walked away from the bassinette and returned to Amphitrite’s side, other gods began to follow suit down a line of no particular order.</p>
<p>“Kore, I bless you with the ability to have animals love and trust you effortlessly.” Said Artemis as she exuded a laminating lavender halo around the infant’s head. </p>
<p>“I gift you with curiosity and immortality full of adventure.” Said Hermes in a baby voice, cooing to the child while a red crown glowed on the baby’s head.</p>
<p>“Kore, I bless you with a singing voice that might even compete with my own.” Apollo reached a finger out to the baby, who bit on it with her gummy jaws. Kore only let go of the god's finger after the golden halo around her head disappeared. The violet god's face contorted with disgust as he walked away from the bassinette trying to shake the baby’s drool from his hands. Hades could not help but chuckle to himself. </p>
<p>Aphrodite approached the crib with Eros and Ares beside her. The petite, lavender goddess studied the baby in the crib while she played with the intricate netting and braiding of the straps on her silver romper. “She will have no trouble with her beauty or finding love.” The goddess muttered. Her violet gaze briefly flashing in Hades’ general direction, which he did not notice. “I bless Kore with undying love and compassion for others. She will be a friend for many.” The goddess smiled, showcasing her perfect white teeth and scarlet lipstick. </p>
<p>Ares followed after her, still wearing his helm and armor. He was probably pulled from the frontlines for the week by his mother just so Kore could receive the Olympian’s blessing. “I bless you with the strength, determination, and rage of an entire phalanx, and I also gifted you your first practice sword in the gift pile.” </p>
<p>“Ares! My daughter will not be learning to fight with swords.” Demeter stood from her chair and yelled.</p>
<p>The god of war shrugged and turned away with young Eros holding one of his hands to meet back with Aphrodite. “She has the traits and a practice sword if she needs them.” </p>
<p>Like an uncomfortable shadow that stood behind the trio, Hephaestus followed after his brother, ex-wife, and nephew, and approached the child. Hephaestus frequently worried about his appearance scaring children and tried to avoid the baby’s curious eyes. She must have seen him though because he flinched before speaking. However, instead of crying, Kore reached up and grabbed one of his large, saffron fingers and cooed. Which was enough to encourage the timid god to continue. “Kore, I bless you with the gift of creativity and innovation. You will always find a way to make anything possible.” The god smiled and went to rejoin his brother and ex-wife. </p>
<p>Athena and Hestia walked up together and both whispered to one another for a minute while smiling down at the baby. Hestia spoke first grabbing one of the child’s hands using two of her fingers, “Beautiful Kore, I bless you with the gift of knowing that you will always have a home no matter where you are in the realms. A welcoming shelter with a warm hearth will always find you.” Athena followed suit after the goddess’ blessing finished, “Kore, I bless you with the gift of always having justice and flawless strategy planning.”</p>
<p>Once the two virgin goddesses left the bassinette, Poseidon pulled Hades with him to the crib to do their blessings. Hades groaned to himself internally. For a god that hated having attention placed onto himself, he was doing just that by waiting to be one of the last gods to give a blessing. </p>
<p>Poseidon went first being his extroverted self and loving children. He walked straight over to the crib and cooed at the little baby inside of it. “Little Kore,” Posie said in a baby voice that Hades found amusing. “I bless you with the ability to be an exceptional swimmer and diver.” Once his blessing was finished, he stood straight and smiled up to Demeter, “bring her by sometime. My kids would love to swim with their cousin.” He said warmly. Poseidon did not see Demeter roll her eyes as he was turning around to rejoin Zeus and Athena at their table. </p>
<p>The god of the dead approached the bassinette. Well aware that Demeter was eyeing him like an angry hawk looking at an injured mouse. He did his best to ignore her glares in his direction, waving it off as mother bear instinct. He bent his neck down to look at the small magenta figure wrapped in a white knit blanket unmistakably made by his niece, Athena. The baby had her eyes close allowing the azure god not to worry about scaring the child. He rested his large palm on the babe’s forehead and her thick eyelashes began to flutter and her large eyes began to open. Showing her bright fuchsia irises to the god. She smiled a big toothless smile back up at him and reach both of her hands up to play with his sapphire cufflinks. Hades’ breath caught in his throat and he smiled down at Kore who had charmed him in only 0.2 seconds of meeting her gaze. </p>
<p>It seemed as if the light did not come from the sun, or the candles on the tables, or even the glowing grey and black flecked halo that now crowned the baby’s head. The light came from the child and her light trumped all of the light that surrounded her. There he had already thought of a better name for her that Demeter would surely never approve of, Persephone. It meant bringer of death and wisdom, but the meaning he thought it for was the destroyer of light. “I bless you with the gift of knowing the dark and dead should never harm you, only bow to you as a child of life.” He gave Kore one last smile before walking away. He gave his sister, Demeter, a curt nod as she walked past him and approached the bassinette.</p>
<p>As the mother of the child, she was last to give her blessings to the new goddess of the pantheon. She lifted her baby from the crib and held her in her arms, holding the most loving look in her eyes that any of the gods had seen from her in decades. “My lovely Kore, I bless you with a home, food, protection, and the unconditional love that only a mother could give.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>It was not long after delivering their blessings that many of the gods began to leave. Hades was the first to leave, making it clear to Zeus he was going to go back home and continue the nap they had so rudely awakened him from. Many of the younger Olympians followed suit with plans to go shopping or for a short trip to the mortal realm. Soon all that was left were Poseidon, Amphitrite, Zeus, Hera, and Demeter. Demeter had been making her best efforts to leave as quickly as her eldest brother, Hades, had done but her plans were foiled by Zeus and Hera’s jealous bickering that somehow sucked her into the chaos. </p>
<p>“For the love that of all that is good on Gaia, please tell Hera that your child is not mine,” Zeus called to Demeter as she attempted to subtly walk out alongside the other exiting party guests. The violet king of the gods had his wife in tow and Poseidon and Amphitrite following behind them, uttering incomprehensible nonsense that was supposed to diffuse the king and queen of the gods’ spat.</p>
<p>Visibly annoyed and tired from having to socialize with her family longer than desired. Demeter turned to face her siblings and sister in law while holding her sleeping child close to her chest. Her eyes shifted from violet to lavender to further show her displeasure of being dragged into their marriage problems. “Hera. What kind of goddess do you take me for?” The verdant goddess glared between the bickering couple. “I swore off men eons ago. Why in Tartarus would I sleep with and bare the child of the worst man of them all?”</p>
<p>Zeus folded his arms and made an annoyed grunt noise to the statement, but he was not going to argue with Demeter if it helped to calm Hera. </p>
<p>“Then who is the father, Demeter?” Hera said with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>“I do not need a man to have a child, Hera. Kore is a creation of my own and she is indeed a full-blooded goddess.” Demeter said calmly while looking down at her child’s face with a small smile on hers. </p>
<p>“But, but… how is that possible?” Zeus said in disbelief. “That is going against Rhea’s rules of creation!”</p>
<p>“We could say the same about how you created Athena, or how Hera made Hephaestus.” Demeter hissed. “I cannot tell you how I made Kore, just that she was created and that she is a goddess.” She paused to study the faces of the four gods in front of her. They seemed calm and collected now. She was no longer in trouble and maybe the fighting couple can stop bickering for an hour now, she thought. “I am returning to my realm now. Glad you could meet your niece.” With those final words, Demeter and Kore’s bodies disappeared within a flash of green light that left behind some falling leaves and lightning bugs that turned to green stardust in seconds after appearing. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Kore's Real Childhood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kore's life as a thirteen-year-old in the mortal realm</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> Life in the mortal realm was beautiful, simple, and lonely. Kore spent her days roaming the lands surrounding her mother's estate and temples searching for adventure. Her mother, Demeter, worked the agricultural fields and with the mortals to ensure a plentiful harvest. In her mother's stead, the nymphs of the land watched Kore from afar. The nymphs hid as plants, or animals, or as a forceful current in the river, and only intervened if Kore wanted a playmate or if she was up to mischief. Otherwise, it was up to Kore to find amusement to keep her occupied while her mother worked. She despised the feeling of always being watched, it made her paranoid and irritable at times, but it was the only way Kore could roam the countryside freely.</p><p>Today, the sun was beaming bright with few clouds to block its rays. The breeze that accompanied that sweltering heat allowed for some sense of relief as it blew on the sweat of Kore's face. She had stopped in the woods just inside of the tree line before it cleared into the village of Savoca. Pulling what hair was gluing to her sweaty face, she began to French braid her hair while wildflowers grew into the strands. Once finished, she checked to make sure her white chiton was clean and that her sandals were tied still. </p><p>There was a farmer’s market in the village that happened this time every week that Kore liked to attend. The people of Savoca had activities laid out to entertain the children while their parents shopped. Kore had befriended some children who appeared to be around her age, thirteen, a month ago when she first came across the village. </p><p>Aida was the first to come running up to Kore when Kore entered the angora. Her black hair was pulled into a tight braided bun and she wore her favorite peacoat chiton. She hugged Kore and grabbed her hand to pull her to the rest of the group. </p><p>Pia, Aniello, Vasil, and Dea were all sitting by the fountain eating from a picnic basket one of them must have brought. Kore sat next to Dea at the other end of the fountain and Vasil handed her some cheese and grapes from the basket to snack on. </p><p>"Kore! It is so good to see you!" Dea exclaimed giving the goddess a sideways hug of the shoulder. </p><p>"I am glad to be back. How have things been since I have last seen you all?" Kore smiled before popping a grape in her mouth. </p><p>"The same old," Pia shrugged while graciously blowing her golden curls out of her face to make her emerald gaze more visible, "Aida and Dea do the cooking and cleaning of their houses while Aniello and Vasil work in the wheat fields." She said with an annoyed sigh. </p><p>"What do you do then, Pia?" Kore inquired. She had only heard of the girls working in the home while the boys worked outside. </p><p>"I have to stay at home and study. Mom says I am special." Pia growled. </p><p>Dea turned to Kore so she could look directly into her brown eyes. "She can hear prophecies from the gods, " she explained, "her parents hope for her to be chosen by Apollo." </p><p>Kore nodded in understanding. Apollo. The god of the sun, music, poetry, healing, and prophecy. He hand-picks who can be chosen to share his prophecies with their respective village. Kore had never met the god, but he was well respected amongst mortals. "That is quite a gift to have visions of such things, Pia."</p><p>Aniello and Vasil fought to hold in a laugh and Pia looked to the ground in an angry scowl. Her eyes then looked into Kore's appearing almost sad, "I do not want to be another sad song the musicians sing about a female mortal who meets a god, Kore."</p><p>"Oh, I am sorry... I-I did not mean to-" Kore stammered. She knew better. She had heard the horror stories from her mother to never trust men. Especially gods. Dea placed a hand on Kore's shoulder and rubbed it reassuringly. "It's okay, Kore, you didn't know."</p><p>Aniello and Vasil began to talk about how the crops were not growing as well as in previous years. Their parents were making offerings and pleas to Demeter. Kore had told the group when they first met a month ago that she was an orphan living in an orphanage within one of Demeter's temples. Aniello and Vasil have offered small offerings for Kore to take back for her mother ever since. Most were modest things that young boys could scrounge up like bundles of wildflowers, shiny rocks, or seeds. However, this time Aniello handed Kore a bag of coins. Inside was at least 90,000 drachma. When she tried to return the money, Aniello insisted she bring the offering to her temple, "We will need a better harvest soon." Was all he said solemnly. </p><p>The farmers market had most of its usual festivities for children. They offered an arts and crafts area where they all drew pictures of each other. Kore received various drawings depicting her with porcelain white skin, hazel eyes, and wine-colored hair that shined auburn red in the sun. Her true goddess form was not visible to their naked mortal eyes. If they could see her, they would see a little girl whose entire frame flowed a brilliant fuchsia hue with rose-colored eyes and burgundy freckles scattering her skin. Her immortal build matched her guise’s build, petite and delicate looking, always wearing flowers in her hair. They eventually moved on and watched some puppet shows on the other side of the festival. Kids were howling in laughter at the silly antics of the two puppets who were very clumsy.</p><p>Near the puppet show, was a booth positioned in front of an apothecary. The plants that hung on the booth were of bright colors and unique shapes that Kore could not place where she had seen them before. An old couple was handling the shop and booth. From watching them Kore could see they were at that age that they moved and thought in slow motion. A white glimmer in the man’s eyes suggested he might have a serious impairment to his vision from cataracts. She still could not place where she knew those plants from.</p><p>Another activity had the group painting each other's faces. Kore was made into a blue butterfly whilst she painted Aida to look like a flower. Vasil looked very unamused when Aniello painted him to look like a ladybug but was immediately relieved when Aniello was made to look like a pig. Pia and Dea took turns smearing random colors on each other’s faces while giggling uncontrollably until both of their faces were an abstract painting. They were all giggling by the end of it. As the festivities were coming to a close, they went to an open field and played games until the sky darkened. The kids all said their goodbyes and parted to their homes before the stars began to twinkle above.<br/>
                                                    </p>
<hr/><p>Kore found a pond on her walk home through the woods and greenery back to her mother's estate and stopped to wash the paint from her face. Not long after, two flower nymphs materialized from the trees and jumped down to meet Kore.</p><p>Oria and Lyris were two of her favorite flower nymphs that followed her because they allowed her more freedom than most of the other nymphs. Like most flower nymphs, they were almost identical. The only way to tell them apart was by their height, hairstyle, or voice. </p><p>“Your mother was beginning to worry about you.” Kore did not turn around to face the nymphs but guessed it was Lyris by the way her voice always seemed to sound like a lullaby without trying. “We just wanted to walk back with you to keep Demeter calm.”</p><p>“I appreciate you ladies coming out here instead of my mother. You two seem to be the only two that respect my need for space.” Kore sighed while getting the last of the blue paint from her face. </p><p>“We can only imagine how you must feel, Kore.” A soothing voice assured. That was Oria’s calming voice. That was the voice that told stories or read poetry so Kore could sleep at night. </p><p>One of the nymphs approached Kore and placed a white cloak over her shoulders while the other used their hands to help dry her face. Kore grabbed both sides of the cloak and cocooned herself inside of it. The nymphs each wrapped an arm around Kore’s back and closed their eyes. Kore’s eyes glowed white and her long, pink hair twirled in the mystical wind that was enveloping the three. In the blink of an eye, they returned to the front porch of the estate.  </p><p>Kore stepped inside the large house walking straight through the main living spaces and up the stairs to head directly to her bedroom. Hoping to at least wash up before seeing her mother. She rushed to get her dirty chiton and cloak off and grabbed pajamas to change into before running to the attached bathroom and hopping in the shower. Kore loved her mother dearly, but her mother was very protective and wanted to know every second of Kore’s life. There was no sense of secrecy. Every animal needs a place to hide and she has never had that. Once clean, she brushed her teeth and put on her nightshirt and sleep shorts. As if on cue, her mother entered her room. </p><p>“Hello, my little Kore-cob. How was your day?” The green goddess sat at the edge of Kore’s bed and beckoned Kore to sit next to her by patting the space next to her. </p><p>The young goddess sat by her mother, crisscrossing her legs, and braiding her wet hair back into a French braid. “It was a beautiful day, Mama, I explored the woods and studied the plants.” She technically was not lying. She was studying the plants at the apothecary booth and was in the woods. </p><p>“I will agree it was a beautiful day, love, “Demeter smiled at her daughter, “spring is coming underway and I want you to start helping me more with the flowers.”</p><p>The fuchsia goddess looked up at her mother with her big, pink, doe eyes in shock. “Really? I thought you wanted to handle it all yourself?” Kore recalled her mother micromanaging her work a few years ago which ruined Kore’s desire to create Spring. Her mother was a perfectionist, everything needed to be measured to the exact coordinate that her mother wished it to be placed. Nature was not something Kore felt should be geometric or have perfect symmetry. She loved the idea of a beautiful, disorganized, chaos where the placement of vegetation was minimally planned. Her mother and her butted heads about this subject frequently when Kore helped with the plants. </p><p>“I realize I should not be managing something that is your domain and let you apply your vision. I am sorry if I made Spring a difficult time for you in recent years.” The verdant parent looked down at her child with embarrassed eyes. Demeter did not apologize often but when she did, she was awkward at it. </p><p>Kore hugged her mother tightly. Her eyes were beginning to tear but were not dripping. “I forgive you, mom. Thank you. I want to make you proud.”</p><p>“I know you will, Kore-cob.” Demeter returned her daughter’s embrace. <br/>
                                                  </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Oria and Lyris joined Kore in having a slumber party in one of Demeter’s temples near the estate later in the night. The sky was black with streaks of white, translucent clouds and stars that shined brilliantly down on the countryside. Oria busied herself by lighting the fire pit and torches with flint and steel. Lyris was relaxing in the pile of blankets and pillows that we made near the fire pit, snacking on some strawberries, and watching Oria light flames in amusement. Kore took the moment to leave the offering Aniello had given her. She brought it to the altar with the other offerings and whispered a few prayers requesting fertile crops on his behalf. Her mother favored and disfavored certain villages and that would reflect in their harvest yields. However, Kore did not know what her mom thought of the people of Savoca. They seemed to respect her mother. Would her mother have a reason to punish the village?</p><p>“Kore, you ready for some stories?” Oria called from their nesting area. </p><p>There was a gasp of excitement. Kore loved Oria’s tales. “I’m coming.” She raced over to the two nymphs forgetting her train of thought. </p><p>“Has your mother ever told you about the land of the dead, Kore? “Lyris inquired with a mischievous grin. This was a conversation between best friends and not two babysitters to a child. They were looking to talk about a subject that would cause her mother to go irate. </p><p>“No, she has not, “Kore shook her head and returned the villainous grin, “but I would love to learn about it.” She sat with the nymphs in a circle in the pile of pillows and blankets with her legs crisscrossed. </p><p>“The Underworld is the land where the souls of the dead, creatures of the night, the deathless gods, and the king of the dead himself live. The entrance is guarded by the king's massive, three-headed dog to ensure only dead mortals and permitted immortals enter.” Oria began with eagerness in her voice. She enjoyed telling scary stories when she could get away with it. “Many fear the king not because he is a tyrant, he is not, but because he is the receiver of many and has an inexplicably large number of souls that he can use for his army of the dead. There is a prophecy that the world will end in an apocalypse of the walking dead if the king were ever to go to war for the wrong maiden. When the god was crowned the king of the underworld, the moirai warned him that he will fall in love twice. One relationship will make him a respected god and the other will make the mortals see him as a monster. Only one of those relationships will be true love.”</p><p>“Has he ever found love?” Kore looked up at Oria curiously.</p><p>“The king stays alone in the underworld to this day,” Oria stated as a-matter-of-factly. </p><p>“That is such a horrible burden to carry, “Kore’s heart almost tore for the mysterious monarch, “Imagine being terrified to love because you could ruin the entire mortal existence.”</p><p>Lyris placed a hand on Kore’s shoulder and rubbed circles into her collar bone, “That is not entirely true though Kore.” Lyris was always such an optimist. “That is only if he chooses the wrong woman and true love always trump all.”</p><p>“But what if true love is the cost of the world’s end?” The little goddess raised her brow at the over-assured nymph. </p><p>“Well, I was always taught that a loving relationship should never hurt anyone. “Lyris calmly retorted. Kore fell silent again because she knew Lyris was right. </p><p>“You’re annoying when you’re right, Lyr. “Kore gave an exasperated sigh while slapping the nymph with a pillow. </p><p>Lyris picked up one of the larger, more solid pillows and threw it like a disc. She aimed for Kore but let go of the pillow too late and the pillow smacked Oria in the face. Both girls paused and stared at the impacted nymph with wide eyes. From under the large pillow, Oria lifted a hand, summoning buds of flowers that shot out at the offending goddess and nymph. Kore picked up a pillow to shield her face while laughing so hard her belly ached. She heard one of the nymphs charge the other and a second later the room was covered in pink rose petals. Peeking from her hiding place, she saw Lyris hitting Oria with another pillow while Oria was on the ground giggling. “Oria? Rose petals!? You’re cleaning this!” The nymph yelled. </p><p>Kore took the opportunity to throw a few pillows near her at Lyris’ back. The nymph made an ‘oof’ noise and fell back on the soft ammunition. Kore ran over and jumped on top of the two nymphs, pinning them down under her body. “I win!” She cheered. Oria was still choking in laughter when the nymphs agreed to surrender. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry, this is a shorter chapter, this is more to give you all a glimpse of what Kore's childhood in the mortal realm was really like.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. More than Just Flowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Being the youngest goddess in the pantheon, Kore begins to feel the weight of being a goddess on her shoulders. Being one of the few gods to still have empathy towards life might not help...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A week flew by quickly with Kore being given tasks pertaining to her job. Her mother was true to her word and left her to do what she envisioned for spring without so much as a comment against something. There were fields of wildflowers, various hues of water lilies to arrange, and fruit to make plentiful in nature. She was proud of the productivity she had done in a week. She had created some new berries and edible florals for the mortals, as well as new plants with edible roots. The hope was that the new, edible vegetation would flourish and help sustain villages having difficulty harvesting enough wheat. The desperation in Aniello’s eyes was something Kore could not get out of her head all week. It was her duty as a goddess and a friend to help the mortals get enough food. Today was the day of the next farmer’s market and she wanted to see how the village faired.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once again, she stopped at the edge of the tree line and the village of Savoca to pull her long hair up into a Dutch braid that had lilies threaded through it. Oria and Lyris accompanied her but would stay hidden in the woods allowing her some privacy. Kore already noticed how her new plants were growing beyond the boundaries of the woods and were close to the edge of the village. Pride swelled through her chest seeing her work being collected in baskets by a few elderly, mortal women. Her efforts were already reaching the village.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The angora was set up for the farmer’s market, but it seemed fewer were in attendance than last time. The sun was already at its peak and it was a beautiful day with clear skies and hardly any wind to complain of. Kore made her way to her friends’ meeting place by the fountain and only found Pia and Vasil sitting there. They were drinking from water bottles rather than from the fountain and snacking on sliced cucumbers and bread. Vasil spotted Kore and waved her over with a sense of urgency that made her nervous.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am glad to see you are well, Kore. “Pia greeted with a solemn smile. Her golden waves were messier than usual, like a wild lioness’s mane, and her emerald eyes seemed to be trying to mask the sadness Kore was feeling from her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everything all right?” Kore asked feeling uneasy. “Where is Aida? Dea? Aniello?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m afraid some of the village has fallen ill,” Pia explained, “I had a premonition to only drink plain, boiled water and tried to tell everyone. It seems only Vasil and those who hate tea headed my warning. “The young soothsayer sighed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore gasped in shock, “How sick is everyone? Is there a healer here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Depends, “Vasil piped up, “Some are weak and trembling, others are unable to move or unconscious. All we have is the elderly couple running the apothecary.” The boy made a facial expression that Kore could only describe as hopeless. “We pray and make sacrifices religiously and the gods turn their back and just kill us off. The monsters. “He growled under his breath. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Those words felt like a jab in Kore’s heart. She felt like she had to do something to make this right, even if she or any of the other gods did not start this plague. She tried to swallow a dry lump that was in the back of her throat and take a deep breath to ease her anxiety. Pia seemed to notice because she offered Kore some of her water and Kore took a large gulp of the warm water. Why would Pia have the foresight to avoid the water? What was affecting the water?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vasil and Pia lead Kore to Aida and Aniello’s home after much debate from the two young mortals. Kore knew she would not get sick and she needed to see how sick they were with her own eyes. Their home was a small, one-story home common for farm families. The exterior was painted with a cream stucco design that looked lovely with the terracotta roof tiles. Just to the west, Kore could see their wheat field and how some stalks were able to be harvested but others had hardly matured. Even though it was about the time of harvest. This must have been what Aniello was worried about last week. The inside of the home was quiet but clean. There was no sign that anyone was awake or out of their rooms today, however. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Their parents are also sick. “Pia explained as if she was reading Kore’s mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vasil led them down the hallway to the last door on the left and knocked a few times softly. A weak voice from the other side of the door croaked, “come in, Vasil.” Vasil opened the door without waiting for another second. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aida and what Kore assumed was her mother were sharing a bed whilst Aniello and the assumed father shared the other. Aida was shaky but able to sit up and offer her mother water and wipe the perspiration from her face. Aniello seemed to just remind his father to try to change positions in bed every so often to prevent sores and offer a cool cloth. They looked up and acknowledged that the trio was in the room but did not speak. Kore walked over to Aida and studied her and her mother. Their pupils were dilated, with too few and too shallow of breaths, and their pulses were almost impalpable. Looking up at Aniello, Kore saw that they were not just trembling, they were shaking or twitching. Was that a seizure? There was water beginning to prick in Kore’s eyes, but she held it back, so her friends did not see her cry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there anything new you put in your water recently? “Kore inquired, trying to make it sound audibly urgent. Hoping one of the four could answer her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“P-p-parse..” was all the father could get passed his lips. Speech appeared to be immensely difficult at this point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore had to walk out at that point before she started tearing up. She marched straight to the kitchen and looked for anything that sounded close to ‘parse- ‘and could have done this. There was nothing. Whatever it was, they must have finished it. Pia and Vasil joined her moments later and explained that they have been helping to care for Aida and Aniello’s family. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bless their courage to help their friends knowing that they might still be at risk themselves</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kore thought. She hugged her friends and promised to visit them next week to make sure they were well. They all said a couple prayers together, one to Apollo asking for healing and one to Demeter for help with the crops. Pia and Vasil stayed in their friends’ home and waved to Kore from the porch while Kore made her way back to the village’s heart. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The farmer’s market was still underway but had few people still shopping or selling. Kore found herself looking at the produce at some of the booths looking for anything that sounded like the word ‘parse- ‘. Could it be parsley? Parsley would not cause this type of illness though. Most of the booths contained the usual produce from merchants, peaches, apples, cabbage, cucumbers, etc. All are harmless, edible plants. After her fourth booth, she found herself at the same apothecary she was looking at last week. They did not have a booth set up this week, but their shop was open. At entering, Kore looked in awe seeing all of the plants that were hung and stacked to the ceiling at both walls to Kore’s left and right. In front of her was a large, ornately carved, oak desk with violet curtains drawn shut behind it. Green leaves of vegetation were peeking out around the edges of the curtains. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the center of the room were tables with displays of dried flowers and leaves in jars labeled for teas and medicinal purposes. One of the jars was labeled for teas and contained flowers that looked like dried baby’s breath. Kore found this peculiar studying the white petals of the flowers. Baby’s breath was not something commonly placed in teas, it gave no health benefits or flavor. There was no label on this jar. There was another jar with purple petals next to another jar with the same shade of purple petals, but the petals were shaped differently. Again, neither jars were labeled. In no time, she found the white flower’s doppelganger and brought all four jars to the counter in the back of the shop. Something about this apothecary made Kore uneasy. She studied the rest of the plants hanging up on the walls. These were labeled and were accurate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The entire time she was in here, there was no sound or sign that anyone else was in this shop. Not wanting to explode in anger or find the elderly couple ill too, she pulled a cloth bag from behind the counter and grabbed as many of the jars from the tea display as she could. This was technically theft. Kore tried to ignore the thought that she is stealing from an old, possibly sick, couple. She slung the bag over her shoulder and phased out of the shop and back to the woods. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The sun was still out, but at the point in the sky where it would be setting soon. The wind was picking up and the smell of a bonfire permeated the air. Kore did not think much of this since the farmer’s market always had bonfires to dance around at this time of night. She could have been dancing with Aniello… or Dea… or Aida, right now. There was a sense of dread that chilled down her spine that this might be the last time she would see them. She took a deep, shaky inhale then paused for several moments before allowing for an even longer exhale. There is no time to think like that right now. Now was the time to try and help the mortals. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wondering further into the coppice, Oria and Lyris materialized at either side of her. They did not speak at first but stared at Kore. They must have sense Kore’s somber demeanor and were unsure how to proceed. “What is in the bag, Kore? “Oria finally spoke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something I need to study for the mortals,” Kore said flatly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know you can tell us anything, Kore. Anything you want to talk about that you cannot with your mom. “Lyris encouraged. She reached for Kore’s shoulder to try to rub it but stopped and brought her hand back to her side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My mother cannot know about this, “Kore hissed, “She does not have the same empathy for mortals that I do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. “Oria said without hesitation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have our word.” Lyris nodded in agreement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A large portion of the mortals are ill in the village, “Kore spoke while staring off in the distance towards Savoca, “I think it has something to do with the plants that one merchant was selling as tea. Most of the flowers are not labeled and dead, which makes identifying them difficult…” The goddess let out an exhausted sigh. “I will have to do some plant research while mother is not watching, I need this done in a week before I visit again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is awful,” Lyris said looking down at the ground. “I am happy to help any way I can.” The fuchsia and teal spotted nymph grabbed both of Kore’s hands and gave her a hopeful smile. Always the optimist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria looked to be in thought for a few moments while Lyris was trying to put a positive front for Kore. Her eyes looked up and studied the goddess for a moment, “Have you considered asking Hecate for help? “She always was a clever nymph and enjoyed a challenge or a sense of adventure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The goddess of witchcraft? “Kore asked with a raised brow. Hecate was one of the few goddesses that Demeter genuinely respected. The elder goddess visited their estate from time to time to request certain plants from them or to discuss herbology with Demeter. However, Kore and Hecate were only acquaintances. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She works frequently with plants and has a knack for identifying plants dead or alive. “Oria explained. “She is a friend of your mother’s and might be willing to help. It could make the process move quicker, maybe just take one day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That could work</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kore contemplated. The only issue was being able to sneak off to the underworld to see the goddess. She had a home in the mortal realm but seldom used it since she preferred her home in the underworld. There was always using Hermes as an escort or writing a letter to Hecate and hoping she visits. She needed this done discreetly though. This would have to be a plan for her to think over tonight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The young goddess grabbed her friends’ hands and the nymphs saw this as the signal to close their eyes. Teleporting can make some very motion sick if they are not keeping their eyes closed or have fair proprioception. Kore’s eyes glowed white and the baby hairs falling out of her braid danced in her magic’s whirling winds. Then they were gone with flecks of pink starlet energy left in the air. Pink roses grew where the sparkles fell and faded into the ground like seeds. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They appeared in Kore’s bedroom. The nymphs morphed into doves and flew out the window to avoid Demeter’s sight. Kore took her bag and shoved it under her bed and surrounded it with extra blankets to hide it from wandering eyes. She knew her mother liked to snoop. Like every other night, she removed her dirty chiton and took a shower. Like clockwork, her mother was in her room sitting at the edge of her bed when Kore left the bathroom in her pajamas. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demeter was in a lilac chiton with gold embroidery that tied around her neck like a halter. Her hair was long and tied in a long, braided ponytail. Like all of her gowns, it sported a low back showcasing the scars she received from fighting in the Titanomachy. The scars were several large, parallel gash marks that healed into keloid scars. If no one knew Demeter, they would have assumed she fought a tiger or a beast with massive claws. Her mother wore a big smile and beckoned for her to come closer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kore-cob, I am glad to see the progress you are making this week with Spring.” Her mother pulled Kore down into a hug and kissed her temple. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, mom, I am glad you like the work I am doing so far.” Kore returned her hug and had a small grin on her face hearing her mother say that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh Kore, I am more than pleased,” Demeter said contentedly, “I decided it was time you get recognition for the mortals for your hard work. “She said grabbing her daughter’s hands. Without warning, they transported to one of Demeter’s temples in the countryside. Kore felt a little dizzy teleporting without any warning or having her eyes closed but her vision refocused. There next to her mother’s altar and statue was another altar with a statue of a shorter woman. Her hair was long, wavy, and wore a flower crown. The marble woman’s face looked compassionate and welcoming compared to her mother’s firm, authoritative gaze. The chiton on this new statue had many tiers and was longer than the height of the goddess and pooled over her marble pedestal. In the statue’s hands were a torch in one and a pomegranate in another. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The mortals will know who to pray to for fruit, flowers, and the warmth of Spring now. “Her mother said over Kore’s shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore was still staring at the statue and altar with wide eyes in awe. She did not have her own temple, yet, but her name was out there. Gods of the light received their power from prayer and sacrifices. They were alive and powerful as long as they were relevant. Olympian gods were only relevant with the help of mortal worship. Without it, they eventually become weak and cease to exist. This was a huge step for Kore. This would help her to develop new powers and get her name out to other gods. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your presence is with me at every one of my temples. I felt it only fair that I give you credit for the work you help me to accomplish with my work too. “Her mother continued. “I chose a torch because you bring light to every person you meet. You have a way of making even the saddest person smile… and I included a pomegranate because I know it is your favorite fruit and like the fruit, you thrive everywhere you go. “Her mother looked down at her with a warm smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore turned to her mother and hugged her tightly. “Thank you for letting me grow, Mama. I will make you proud. “The little fuchsia goddess said with tears streaming from her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her mother returned her hug, patting her back, and humming soothing tones to calm her child down. “You always will make me proud, Kore.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Kore stayed up late that night. Not that she wanted to sleep, she did, she would have been asleep for three hours by now, but she felt obligated to find a safe, discrete way to the underworld soon. The walls glowed a sunset pink in the candlelight and the smell of her herbal tea and the old pages of the books she had opened permeated her nose. There was one entrance of the Underworld accessible to the mortal realm, but it was difficult to pinpoint its location. This entrance was also guarded by Cerberus and would require a ride from the river Styx’s ferryman to make it to the residential side of the underworld. She was not worried about having money for the ferryman or about the three-headed dog, the trouble was navigating her way to and through the underworld. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was an extensive encyclopedia her mother had gifted her a year ago that cataloged every plant ever created. A page would be magically created with all the information of the plant, in real-time, as the plant was being created. Spring was supposed to be the embodiment of life, the complete opposite of what the underworld stood for. She was the goddess of Spring. Meaning she might be entering an area with powers reduced to that of a mere mortal. She curled up in her reading nook on the windowsill with the book. Hoping to find anything that indicated that the Underworld had plants or some form of energy that she could work to manipulate if she needed protection. There were a few she found, asphodel flowers, pomegranate trees, and daffodils or </span>
  <em>
    <span>narcissus</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last one seemed promising to her. Narcissus grew in the mortal realm too and she just happened to have noticed that they tended to grow at the certain side of a mountain in the countryside. Could the entrance be over there? The goddess made a small checklist for herself of what to carry with her on her voyage, gold coins, the teas, and a concealable knife. She hoped she could depart in a day or two depending on her mother’s level of fixation on her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was still the issue of how to find Hecate once in the Underworld… something in Kore’s gut told her just to follow what she knows about Hecate. Hopefully, she could find the elusive goddess and have what she needed in one day. Kore’s large magenta eyes left the pages of the book and stared out the window at the stars. Asteria had outdone herself tonight. The stars were glittering the sky so brightly, one might not need a torch to see their way. The little goddess tried to identify any constellations that she recognized but was only able to identify Orion’s belt before falling asleep in her reading nook with the ginormous encyclopedia still weighing in her lap. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Asphodel in a Sea of Narcissus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Impulse decisions have been made and Cerberus makes an appearance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There was a loud, blood-curdling scream. It was not until Kore felt a burn in her throat to realize the screaming was coming from her. The ground beneath her feet felt solid but was the color of ash and charcoal. Bodies laid there. Each was in different stages of decay and in compromising positions that broke Kore’s heart. There was a man with both hands on his throat as if he were trying to indicate he could not breathe. A mother and her infant son were folded in the fetal position with tears staining the mother’s cheeks. Kore felt tears stinging her eyes and saturating the collar of her chiton. One looked familiar but laid face down, it looked to be a boy about her age with dirty blond hair. She flipped the body over to find Vasil laying there with his lifeless, sage green eyes staring blankly to the sky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something gently touched her shoulder. Kore turned to see a man twice her size wearing a dark cloak. His face was darkened by the hood of his cloak, but Kore felt a sense of concern from him. He held what looked to be a scythe that had intricate patterns etched into the staff. Kore stared into the darkness of where his face should be for several moments, unsure of what to do. “It’s time, “The stranger urged, “They will need a proper burial. “He raised his scythe in the air and glowing shapes of light began to pull from the mouths of the corpses’ and towards a dark, velvet satchel at the man’s waist. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Kore woke up in the reading nook she fell asleep in a cold sweat and tears dried on her cheeks. The encyclopedia fell off her lap and slammed onto the hardwood floor as she shifted to sit up to catch her breath. Her pulse and breaths were accelerated from the fight or flight response to her fear. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was just a dream</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she kept repeating to herself in her head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There is still time, Pia and Vasil need you.</span>
  </em>
  <span> If she could not save Aida, Dea, and Aniello, she at least hoped to save who was left in the village. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking out the window, it was morning. The sun was out but blocked by many clouds today. The breeze felt refreshingly cooler and still very humid. She stalked into the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. Her hair must have grown in her sleep because it was now down to her waist. With an exaggerated sigh, she pulled her pink hair scissors from a drawer and cut her hair to her shoulders. Pink rose petals sprinkled the air and onto the bathroom floor in place of hair strands. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I will clean it up </span>
  </em>
  <span>later, she told herself. It was too early to be cleaning in her mind. Whenever her hair was this short, her hair would make itself super wavy which she was in the mood for today. Still in her pajamas, she walked downstairs to be greeted by some flower nymphs and a bowl of berry oatmeal laid out for her. Under the bowl of oatmeal was a piece of folded paper with her name scribbled on top in her mother’s antique cursive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>My Darling Kore-cob,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>In the excitement of your surprise last night, I neglected to tell you that I will be visiting my temples in Rome for three days due to political riots impacting their harvests. Please do not give the flower nymphs a hard time and behave. I will see you in three days at most. Hopefully sooner. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Love, Mama’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore almost dropped the spoon of oatmeal that was in her mouth. The fates must be at work with how well the stars have aligned. Her mother was away with enough time for Kore to visit the underworld and identify these flowers. She inhaled the rest of her oatmeal in three bites and rushed back up to her bedroom. Hanging half her body out the window like a child high on too much sugar, she yelled for her two favorite nymphs. “Oria! Lyris!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While having her back turned to the window to dress in her white chiton and white cloak, the two nymphs flew in through the window as doves and morphed into their true forms. Staring at the goddess curiously while she dressed. “You called?” Oria finally broke the silence while Kore was tying her sandals. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The goddess looked up at the nymphs with a wild, adventurous grin. “Did you two know my mother was leaving for three days?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, we have known for a little over a week, “Lyris shrugged, “Did you not know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just found out, “Kore explained while packing a bag with the several jars of tea into a bag, “I want to go see Hecate. “She said looking at Oria. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria’s face widened to a wicked grin. She loved adventure. It was one of the many reasons Kore loved her. Lyris had a look of hesitation but let out an abdicated sigh knowing that they signed up for this after having their heart to heart yesterday. “I guess we will be okay as long as we make sure to get you back in one piece. “Lyris muttered. “Do we at least have a plan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For the most part. “Kore shrugged. “We may have to wing it a little bit once in the Underworld. “She spoke while they all prepared to depart and were about to leave the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is reassuring. “Lyris said sarcastically. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that is the first time I have ever heard you sound like a pessimist, Lyris. “Oria chuckled. Kore began to giggle to herself while Lyris’ face darkened to a berry shade of pink. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Monte Dinnammare is a beautiful mountain landscape that resides less than 2 hours north from the village of Savoca and is known for its beautiful places of worship to the gods and the saffron flowers that grow along its base. Kore had been shown the place years ago by Oria when Kore wished to see the narcissus flower after hearing the flower’s sad origin. She remembered Oria jokingly pointing to multiple small creeks and ponds along their hike claiming, “Narcissus drowned himself there. “Oria lived to try and scare people. This backfired, however, because, after years of growing up with the nymph, Kore now had an attraction to the dark and dreary like a moth to a flame. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now they were here under different circumstances. They were looking for entry into the pit of darkness that is Hades. Kore felt it efficient to start with the long sides of the mountain first and try the side closest to Greece, to the east, first. The nymphs and Kore, both nymphs holding one of Kore’s hands to assist in flight, took to the air to look for any signs of an entryway. They were in the air for fifteen minutes and almost halfway through the first half of surveying the east side of the mountain when Kore noticed something. In the sea of yellow flowers and green grass, Kore found one spot of white. Without a second thought, she let go of her friends’ hands and fell to the ground with a ‘thud’. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sweet Zeus, Kore!” Lyris yelled from the air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore ignored them and studied her surroundings. The spot of white she saw was a lone flower that she recognized from her encyclopedia as asphodel. She scanned her surroundings for any openings in the ground but found nothing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria and Lyris had now joined her on the ground and kneeling on both sides of her, looking for any signs of injury. “Good Gaia, Kore, do not scare us like that again. “Oria scolded. Lyris was running her hands along Kore’s arms and legs still searching for any signs of a wound. Kore was still ignoring their concern for her wellbeing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, does asphodel ever grow alone? “The fuchsia goddess looked curiously at Oria. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria was stunned by the disregard for the fact Kore just fell twenty feet from the air and seemed to be fine, “W-well no, it does not. It grows invasively in large groups, like dandelions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All three studied the flower for a moment. Kore, ever being so brave, attempted to pluck the flower from the ground but struggled to break the stem. The nymphs stared at the child goddess puzzled when she could not remove a flower from the ground. Lyris reached underneath Kore’s hands and leaned back to help her pull the flower. Still, they struggled. Having enough with the shenanigans, Kore pulled her hunting knife from her cloak and attempted to cut the stem, but it just damaged her blade leaving asymmetric indents on the serrated teeth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All three stared at Kore’s prized gift from Artemis with wide eyes in disbelief. “What if we need to grab it by the roots. “Lyris murmured. Kore shrugged skeptically with her eyebrows but used her damaged blade to dig around the flower. Once she had made a generously wide and deep perimeter around the flower, she tugged on the stem and the flower removed itself without a struggle. She was even able to split the stem from its roots and thread the flower over her ear to her satisfaction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ground began to shake a few seconds later. The trio backed away down the mountain several meters in shock and watched the ground open up from the inside. The small hole Kore had dug to get the flower out had expanded in circumference to allow for one person to crawl in at a time. As soon as the ground ceased to quake, Kore crawled back up to the opening on her hands and knees with Oria and Lyris following close behind her. She stared down into the hole and only saw blackness and the beginning of a stairway that the daylight barely illuminated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy Hera. “Lyris trembled in disbelief. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are we going to see our way down there? “Oria looked over at Kore who was still staring at the dark abyss with wide eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? Oh! “It took Kore a moment to recall Oria’s question. “Honestly, I did not think of that. We will probably have to make torches.” Just then the asphodel flower in Kore’s hair fell into the hole and landed several steps down, illuminating its surroundings in the darkness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three paused and stared at the flower for a moment in awe before Kore spoke up again. “Oh, the fates, “She whispered, “I guess we have our answer…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They began their trek down the pit with Kore walking on foot and the nymphs transforming into doves perched on her shoulders. The goddess made sure to place the flower back in her hair with the stem braided in over her ear. This was a flower she wanted to keep long after their descent to the Underworld.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The king of the Underworld entered his office like he did any other normal day, with a travel mug of black coffee in one hand and a black briefcase full of work he brought home to power through the night before in the other. His assistant, Minthe, was already in his office with another fresh pot of coffee brewing and met him at his desk with a lint roller to help him get the dog hair off of his suit. No matter how hard the god tried, there would always be some fur from one of his seven dogs on his clothes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crimson nymph was a recent hire from a program Hecate campaigned for the company to begin partnering with for months. From his understanding, the program’s job was to help people in abusive situations rehabilitate and find jobs. Minthe was nice, quiet, but nice. Without another word, she left his office with just a shy nod. Hades muttered a ‘thank you’ to the nymph but she did not respond. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shortly after settling into his obsidian desk and beginning to look over his emails and schedule for the day, his right hand and best friend, Hecate appeared. The azure goddess had her hair cut into a bob with her bangs shaped into a ‘V’ at the center of her forehead. Her pantsuit was black with gold embroidery and jeweled embellishments. Her blouse was a black lace with gold detailing and a ruby broach at the center of her collar to tie the whole Victorian-Esque look together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, Hades.” She said with a wicked grin. Seeing her smiling this early meant she had an agenda. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning Hecate, did we have a meeting this morning? I do not see one on my schedule.” Hades raised his brow and gave her a sarcastic look. He was curious about what the witch was up to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am afraid we did not have a scheduled meeting, but as friends, I doubt that rule of yours applies to me.” The azure goddess said while inspecting her manicure. Her nails were filed to be long, sparkling, onyx talons that could cut through skin effortlessly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are correct, “The king nodded in agreement as he leaned back in his chair to raise his long legs so they rested at the corner of his desk, “so what can I do for you then? “He eyed her with curiosity while her vision was now focused at the large wall of glass behind him that overlooked the metropolitan streets of the Underworld. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The witch was silent for a moment before parting her black lips, “I need to go greet someone at the river Styx, today. “She muttered, her gaze never leaving that window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can leave for the beach whenever you want, you know that. “Hades said with a shrug. “Are you asking me for the day off then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In all of Hecate’s years working for Hades Corp, she had never requested a day off that was not unplanned weeks prior. The goddess liked to have everything planned so project handoffs were smooth. She took it personally if anything went wrong on her end. “I might need more than one day, “she murmured, unsure of herself, “but we will see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Take the weekend if need be. “Looking at the goddess of witchcraft again, Hades noticed her eyes were still locked on the window, she did not look back at him at all. “Can I ask who it is you are meeting?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Someone very dear to the Underworld, “Hecate said with a cheery smile, “I am afraid you have yet to meet her though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will I get to meet her sometime this visit? “Hades inquired. How was there someone important to his own kingdom that he had not met yet? The god had seen every corner of his kingdom and rebuilt it from the ground up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hecate finally broke her gaze from the window and looked at her old friend, “that all depends on why she is coming to see me. She does not even know I know she is coming. “The goddess shrugged. Before Hades could respond with another question, the witch snapped her fingers and disappeared in a puff of white twinkles and blue haze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does anybody know any proper manners around here.” The king folded his arms and growled to himself. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The descent to the Underworld was simpler than expected for Kore. She expected to encounter the dead or Cerberus by now, but all she had to worry about thus far was her ears acclimating to the change in pressure and her eyes to the constant darkness. The asphodel flower was the only thing to illuminate their way and there was still blackness that hindered her vision to what was only three meters in front of her. She was still thankful to have something to help her see the stair steps or she would have fallen well over a hundred steps by now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria and Lyris were still in the form of peach-tinted doves on either of her shoulders. This made navigating the tunnel easier since Kore was the shortest of the three and could walk through the caverns without having to shorten her stature. The doves were quiet and still like statues the whole trek down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they went deeper underground, the colder and more humid the air was. It was not enough to bother Kore yet, but they could be in trouble if the hike into the Underworld takes too much longer. The goddess balled her fists into her cloak and wrapped herself inside like a cocoon for warmth. She had to preserve what body heat she was exuding while walking. Her breath was starting to become visible. At some point, Kore realized that there were no more stair steps and it was just one long corridor now. She felt her feet carry her faster as soon as she realized this and not long after, there was the faintest glow in the distance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That glow was the opening into the Underworld. Walking through the entryway, Kore saw that the emanating glow was not from any source of light but from the souls of the dead lining up to board the ferry on the river Styx. The souls were not one uniform shade of colorful light, but each had their own unique hue that was almost too brilliant for her to rest her eyes on. Being a child of life, she could understand why the souls of the dead could carry such colorful beauty and admired this characteristic. Up ahead was what she assumed was the river Styx since the ferry was present and had a line of spirits paying to board. Other spirits were sitting and laying all throughout the grounds alone, those spirits had an air of melancholy that surrounded them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could feel the doves on her shoulders turning their heads every which way, Kore was doing the same, admiring what she was seeing before her. Not many people have spoken of the Underworld to her but those who had never told her of its eerie beauty. The ground was a dry, dense, ash-colored soil that held little ability to grow life from what Kore could sense. The water of the river was a rancid, grey-teal color but still seemed to have a green glow of magic to it that Kore could not place. That is when Kore noticed her doves seemed to have their eyes locked to something above them, she followed their gaze and felt her lungs choke on air once she saw the sky. There was a blur of violets, indigos, and blacks coloring the entire atmosphere. The stars seemed to shine brighter than the gems and precious metals that were visible within the cave walls. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their sightseeing was interrupted when the goddess noticed the large mass of black to her left and the growling sound that came from it. Her doves began trembling at her shoulders as she turned to come to face what was making the monstrous noise. The first thing she noticed was the three large pairs of gleaming blue eyes meeting her pink ones. Then she studied the black mass and concluded that this was Cerberus. The three-headed dog of Hades. The massive hound was at least the size of three elephants and had a growl that Kore felt vibrating in her chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked at the dog with big, nervous eyes. Her plan was to treat it as if it were a dog but now she was unsure how safe that would be seeing the sheer size of the pup. One of the blessings the gods and goddesses had gifted her at her birth was Artemis’s blessing of the ability to have animals trust her effortlessly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No matter the size, he is still a dog</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kore told herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a small rush of courage or recklessness, she was not sure which, she gestured for her doves to leave her shoulder for a moment. The doves fluttered away and perched a distance away on a rock ledge on the cave wall to watch their goddess. Kore approached the mutt, still leaving some distance so the dog could see her and not step on her, and took a big inhale before yelling loud, “Who is a good boy!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hearing this, the dog’s head immediately snapped to look at the little, pink goddess and his tail began to wag excitedly. “Yes, you’re my bestest boy! “The goddess cooed. “Come closer so I can give you scratches my boy! “With that order, the dog shrunk down to the size of a pony and raced over to Kore. Cerberus rolled onto his back excitedly, indicating his desire for belly rubs from the goddess, which Kore happily obliged. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that it was clear that Cerberus was not going to be a threat, the two doves flew to the goddess from their perch and formed back into nymphs. Oria was looking at the Underworld’s gatekeeper with a raised eyebrow in disbelief, whilst Lyris joined Kore in giving the gigantic dog belly rubs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What a cute monster-doggo! “Lyris giggled as one of Cerberus’ heads licked her cheek. “I cannot believe people say he is a demon, just look at that cute puppy face. “She was right. The dog, though gigantic, looked like a young, Doberman Pincher. A beautiful dog.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Kore and Lyris occupied themselves with the hellhound, Oria surveyed their surroundings. Even though they were making a scene and were clearly distracting the gatekeeper, none of the shades or Charon were looking at them. Oria was unsure if they were ignoring them or just did not care. No one else seemed to be here besides the ferryman and the recently deceased. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nymph looked back at her friends to see that Kore had conjured a stick for the dog to fetch. This seemed to be a nice way to take a break after trudging through that black tunnel. Cerberus was very good at fetching the stick but would then insist on playing a game of ‘keep away’ with the trio. The girls could not help but giggle as they began to take turns throwing the stick and retrieving the stick from the dog. Kore was the fastest and had the best trick to getting the stick from Cerberus’ jaws. Due to her petite size, she was able to sprint until she was running alongside Cerberus and then jump on the dogs back and grab the stick like they were a horse’s reigns. She was the only one small enough to do this since she was a child and Cerberus seemed as if he was used to giving kids pony rides with how gentle he was with her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, we should probably make this the last round. “Kore said to the group and Cerberus. Lyris had just returned and handed the stick to Oria to throw and Kore was to retrieve from Cerberus. With a skip in her step, Oria threw the stick towards the downstream of the river and it landed on the ground several meters away with a ‘thunk’. Cerberus has already bolted in the direction the stick once it had left the nymph’s hand, Kore remained behind with her friends to give the dog a head start. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sweet Gaia, Oria, you had to make this one count, huh? “Kore looked at her friend with an excited sparkle in her eye. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria looked down at the child goddess and chuckled, “someone has to wear you out, so you go to bed tonight without a fuss.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore rolled her eyes at her friends and sprinted after the dog who now had the stick. Cerberus waited for her to get close, his tail wagging faster as she got closer, then he sprinted one direction and then twirled and went the opposite way. This trick caused Kore to try and follow the dog his first way and then fall when she tried to stop and go the other direction. She could hear the nymphs giggling from their spots at the dog’s wit. This only made Kore want to get that stupid stick more. She sped after the dog and dove so she was gripping the dog’s back. However, she was not high enough to reach for the stick, she only had her hands on the dog’s waist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cerberus was running alongside the river Styx at near top speed for his current size. This would have been an amazing view if Kore were not in a competitive mood. She released her left hand, hoping to grip Cerberus’s collar for a better hold. Instead, her hand slipped, and she flew off the dog and splashed into the river. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kore! “Lyris and Oria yelled in unison and ran to where the goddess fell in. This was enough of a signal for Cerberus to know the game was done and to return to the group. He eyed the nymphs in confusion, the stick still in his mouth, almost as if he were unaware of the goddess that was on his back. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>A pink head popped from the surface of the revolting, green-colored water, gasping for breaths before the glowing hands of what looked to be ghosts yanked her by the hair back under. Kore could feel hands gripping her wrist, ankles, hair, and shoulders. They all seemed to want to pull her deeper into Styx’s depths. She was not worried about drowning, the gods did not need to breathe, it would just be painful for the time being. Her main priority was escaping. Almost on instinct, she began to kick away using her most aggressive butterfly stroke until she broke the surface again. The phantoms yanked her back down again, but she eventually escaped their grasp again and fluttered back up to the surface. The cycle of breaking free to only be pulled back under again repeated three more times before Kore realized she would eventually have to give in before the fatigue did. There were faint screams and whispers, but she was unsure if those were from her friends or these restless shades. She allowed her body to relent and allowed the shades to pull her deeper into the dark waters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing improved though. The dead began to bite at her shoulders, calves, and wrists. She thrashed in pain and growled till eventually all she saw was red illuminating her eyes. Opening her mouth to gasp at the pain, she accidentally swallowed some of the filthy water. The taste could only have been described as a combination of the metallic taste of blood, the mustiness of algae, and an excess of salt in the water. There was not much more of this she could take. Unsure if it was a real memory or from the lack of oxygen, Kore heard a male’s voice in her ears whisper, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“the dark and dead should never harm you, only bow to you as a child of life” …</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Must she take command? She wondered. It would not hurt to try. A shade pushed its jaws deeper into her shoulder. She let out a scream that would make the titans cower in fear and shook the waters. All of the shades backed away from the goddess, allowing her a 10ft radius of space to swim back to the surface. With a pink glimmer emanating from her hands, she conjured a small vine that tied around her wrist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kore! Over here! “Was the first thing she heard when she broke the water’s surface. She swam freestyle towards the sound and flung the arm with the vine over the edge once she felt land. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pull me up! “The child goddess yelled. She felt a force haul her up over the ground’s edge and drag her on the ground until not a single inch of her hung over that river. Kore positioned herself on all fours and tried to cough the disgusting water out of her mouth while wiping any of the slimy water from her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do not scare us like that ever again! “Lyris yelled before hugging the goddess. Her cloak and chiton were now becoming saturated by touching the wet child. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria observed the faces of the people around them again while Lyris was nagging Kore. They had made a scene once again. The shades seemed to be keeping a greater distance from the group, some even looked terrified. Looking back at where Kore surfaced, the water was much clearer than the water that surrounded it. Did shades make the water that dirty color? Did Kore unintentionally purify the river Styx? Oria kept her mouth shut. She knew there was more to Kore’s story than what Demeter always let on, she was smart enough to keep it to herself if she did not want to face consequences. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The observant nymph’s eyes went back on to the child. There was ichor dripping from her leg and shoulder. “Kore, you are hurt! “Oria said while trying to pull the goddess to her feet away from the dirt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore must have not felt the pain of her wounds yet due to the adrenaline because she just looked at her cuts and said, “huh, so I am.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn all in Tartarus, Kore, we are supposed to bring you home unharmed. “Lyris scolded again, pulling at her hair like she is about to rip it out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would not worry about that. Us gods heal quickly, and I have some remedies for that. “A new, feminine voice spoke to the group. There was something polite and proper about her voice, almost sophisticated. The trio turned to see a goddess of average height with azure skin and black hair that was cut to a bob and ‘V’-cut bangs. There was a sense of something dangerous and still graceful about the elaborate pantsuit she wore paired with the sharp manicure and stiletto heels. “I am afraid it has been since your birth that we have met, Miss Kore, I am Hecate. The goddess of witchcraft, magic, necromancy, and the crossroads. “She reached out and shook the fuchsia goddess’ hand. “My you have grown to be a pretty girl.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Witch on the Styx</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kore meets with Hecate and learns that part of being a god is dealing with other gods.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After reprimanding the river Styx’s ferrymen for not helping to pull the Goddess of Spring from the river, Hecate teleported the goddess and her two flower nymphs to her office with the snap of her fingers. They all appeared in the witch’s office in a cloud of blue, twinkling smoke that dissipated as fast as it conjured. The gracious host led Kore to the en suite bathroom and provided her one of her black chitons and a lavender cloak to change into, as well as a towel for the shower. The river Styx had a distinct, unflattering smell that Hecate did not want lingering for long. While the child cleaned herself up, Hecate busied herself by brewing the group some tea and diffusing some scented oils to keep the room smelling pleasant. </p><p>Oria and Lyris sat close together on one of Hecate’s office couches, Oria holding the goddess’ bag of plants guardingly and Lyris occupying her hands by making a flower crown with asphodel she was able to summon now that she was in the Underworld. Hecate decided not to ask them any questions until their goddess was with them since that could get them in trouble or cause conflict in their loyalties to Demeter and Kore. The witch had no desire to cause any problems, especially to a child goddess of an old family friend. The three waited in civil silence for Kore to clean herself up, enjoying their teas and the candies Hecate kept in bowls for guests on her coffee table. </p><hr/><p><br/> The warm water of the shower caused the open wounds on Kore’s body to sting but soothed the sore muscles and bruises that were also present. She let out a quiet moan that was in a mixture of pain and relief feeling the lesions being cleansed. As the clean water was running down her body and into the drain, Kore noted the dirty grey, teal water of the river Styx running off of her frame along with streaks of her golden ichor. The goddess also noted that all of the body washes, shampoos, conditioners, and scrubs seemed to be homemade by the goddess of witchcraft and smelt of herbs, flowers, and oils that she recalled her mother collecting for the goddess. The natural soaps felt amazing on her skin and seemed to almost ‘purify’ any trace of that river from her flesh. </p><p>She was still bleeding when she stepped out of the shower onto the smokey quartz tile, but Hecate said she had a remedy for it. Following the witch’s words, Kore was careful not to get any of her ichor on the woman’s clothes or her bathroom. By now, her wounds were beginning to scab but were still sticky and seeped fluid if put under enough pressure. She had given Kore a high neck, black chiton that revealed the middle of her back, and had a layered, petaled skirt that went to her ankles. The lavender cloak was of a thicker material not often used in the mortal realm since it was clearly meant for a colder climate. It rested sideways where it covered one shoulder and had a gold chain and onyx-embedded clasp on the other. The outfit covered the bitemarks that were left on her left calf, right wrist and shoulder, and thighs. </p><p>Waiting to worry about her hair after her bleeding was taken care of, she walked out of the bathroom with a towel between the dress and her legs to prevent getting ichor on the skirt while pushing the cloak behind her in the meantime. Oria and Lyris stood up at the sight of their child goddess. Hecate gestured for her to come and sit next to her on the couch. On the coffee table in front of her was a box of first aid supplies and a jar of a yellow substance. Kore sat down next to the goddess and slowly lifted the skirt of her gown only as high as it needed to be for the goddess to see all of her leg lacerations.</p><p> “I am truly sorry this happened, Kore dear. “The older goddess gave a sad smile as she began to rub the yellow salve on the open cuts on Kore’s thighs.</p><p> “What were those things in the river, Hecate. “Kore murmured under her breath while watching the goddess. She tried to maintain a stoic façade while the witch applied the salve but was still visibly wincing when Hecate attempted to touch the open wounds.</p><p> “Ancient souls. “She said. “Souls older than the king himself. Who tried to escape or reach judgment early by not paying the ferryman. Those souls are forever trapped in the River Styx and feed off of the living who dare fall in. “A chill went down Kore’s spine at how the goddess said all of this so casually. Hecate might be a better scary storyteller than Oria. “They liked you because your godly domain exudes life. They thought they could feed off of you and gain life themselves.”<br/> </p><p>Kore was speechless at this comment. She just stared at the azure woman’s hands as she applied gauze and tape to her calf, then thighs, then the wrist, and lastly her shoulder. </p><p>Once finished, Hecate rose and picked up her first aid supplies, and returned them to a shelf on the other side of the room. Kore’s fingers went to her hair and began to fashion it into a milkmaid’s braid and grew a black rose and lavender flower crown to match her outfit. Lyris was almost finished with her asphodel flower crown that she was placing all of her concentration into while Oria was staring off in the distance at the bookshelves reading the book titles. Still guarding Kore’s bag. </p><p>Hecate returned with another mug of earl grey tea and sat next to Kore. Deciding to break the silence that once again fell unto the group she opened her mouth, “So what brought the little goddess of life to the Underworld?” She paused to take another sip of her tea. “I highly doubt Demeter would allow you to be this far from the estate, let alone in the Underworld.”</p><p>Internally, Kore wanted to squirm in her seat or fall to her knees and beg Hecate not to tell her mother, but she wanted to prove she was not a child. She might have been a thirteen-year-old goddess, very young compared to many, but she felt she still had the means to handle herself. She maintained a calm, sweet exterior. “Could you please not tell my mother about this? This pertains to my domain and she does not care for mortals as I do.” She explained. Kore hoped that explaining that it was for her domain and the mortals would earn her some sympathy points with the goddess. The gods respected each other’s domains and were willing to help if possible. Hecate was known to have sympathy for the mortals, hence why she took residency in the Underworld, ensuring even their afterlife was comfortable. </p><p>Hecate reluctantly nodded and Kore continued. “I have noticed a nearby village becoming critically ill and the source appears to be from plants that were being dried and used as teas. I am concerned that the plants may have been confused for other more dangerous plants and am having difficulty identifying these plants.”</p><p>Studying the cerulean facial features of the elder goddess, she seemed to be raising her head in understanding to what Kore was saying to her. The Goddess’ eyes began to glow increasingly vibrant saffron and her coal lips parted as she muttered, “You want my assistance in identifying these plants.”</p><p>“If you would be willing to, Hecate, “Kore urged, “I am unsure how much time this village has left. Many seem to be falling into comatose or death.”</p><p>Without hesitation, the witch smiled and whispered an, “of course”, and rose from her seat to approach one of her bookcases. Her long, black talon stroked along the spines of the tomes until she came across an emerald and gold text that looked to weigh as much as the fuchsia goddess. Oria handed Kore the bag of tea jars and Kore arranged them in their respective pairs on the table while Hecate slowly approached the coffee table with the massive text. “This was a gift from your mother several decades ago, any plant or plant-like matter ever made will be in here.”</p><p>Hecate inspected the jars of specimens Kore brought. Immediately separating the jars into groups but keeping the pairs together. “I am assuming you are keeping these jars in pairs because you assume that these plants were mistaken for each other, “She spoke while dividing the jars into groups, “Some of these pairs would have no harm at all, some I am unsure, and others I know would be harmful just by what I am seeing. “She explained. Once she finished, there were three groups and every jar still had its pair. They had a harmless pile, an unknown pile, and a dangerous pile. “This makes me want to continue my studies on poisonous botany that I never got to finish. “Hecate let out a sigh with a grin on her face. She seemed to be enjoying the activity. Almost all of the pairs fell into the ‘harmless’ pile, however, one pair was in the ‘unsure’ pile and there was one pair sitting in the ‘danger’ pile. </p><p>“So, what is this pair in the danger pile?” Kore inquired. The two jars were the first two jars she had noticed in the apothecary when she visited. What she thought were dried baby’s breath and a mislabeled imposter.</p><p>“Well this is actually quite interesting, “Hecate seemed excited to explain. She picked up one of the jars and pointed to the unique petal shape and where the pollen collects, “this flower here is newly created but can be mistaken for something else easily. The juices from the flower and the stem are very photosensitive and can leave severe burns on a mortal’s skin. However, the root is completely edible and great for stews or soups.”</p><p>Newly created plant? Kore thought for a moment. She did not recall intentionally making a plant that could burn the mortals but that could have been her own error. She was still a young goddess and had much to learn after all. It was good to hear that there was already use for the edible part of the plant, however. “What are the mortals calling it?” She asked. </p><p>“It depends on the region, I believe. I have heard wild carrots or wild parsnips.” Hecate said simply. </p><p>At hearing the words “parsnips” Kore paused. She remembered asking Aniello and Aida’s family if they tried anything new and their father tried to say something with the phrase “parse- “in it. Although the words fit, according to Hecate, wild parsnips could only cause severe burns. No comas, seizures, or respiratory distress. Before she could delve deeper into her thoughts, Hecate was already examining the other jar of white flowers and her eyes widened in horror. “Gaia, this is not good.” The goddess whispered. </p><p>Kore’s head shot up to see the goddess giving Kore a somber expression as if what she had to say could be the worst news possible. Oria and Lyris looked up from the daisy chains they were working on out of boredom and stared at their goddess out of concern. “Kore, this is Hemlock. It is a very toxic plant that still has no antidote, even with magic or witchcraft.” Hecate began. “It can cause seizures, loss of speech, respiratory failure, and eventually death.”</p><p>Hecate was studying the face of the spring goddess that sat beside her as she was processing the bad news she just gave her. The child’s face was flat, but her eyes were wide in horror. The nymphs were both internally debating on whether to walk around the coffee table to comfort their mistress or give her space to breathe. Whispering to one another on what the best course of action was to approach the goddess of life. Hecate wondered if this was the child’s first encounter with death.</p><p>“Gods what have I done.” Kore finally squeaked before putting her face in her hands to hide her tears. “I may have just killed an entire village, Hecate.”</p><hr/><p>Hecate, for being someone who has no children, is quite patient and a great listener. She, as well as Lyris and Oria, listened to the goddess talk about the friends she had made in the village of Savoca months back, how their crops were struggling to mature, how she tried to create new edible plants to increase the food supply when she discovered the village was plagued, and the mysterious apothecary with the unlabeled tea jars. Lyris was soothing the goddess as she spoke by holding the child in her lap and wrapping her arms around her in a protective hold. Oria laid on the other couch alone, listening to the tale, scrunching her brows while digesting every word she heard. Hecate maintained a calm, almost unsurprised face and nodded or urged Kore to go on when it was needed. </p><p>To Kore, she felt it was all her fault making an edible plant that looked so similar to a lethal plant. The damage was already done. There was no antidote to hemlock poisoning. She had unknowingly tricked almost an entire village into poisoning themselves with a deadly elixir. “And that is why it is all my fault. I killed my friends.” Kore stated in a regretful voice once she finished her explanation to the group.</p><p>“You could not have known-” Oria began, but Kore cut her off.</p><p>“I could have if I had just did some damn research and planned like my mother always tells me to!” The little goddess raged. Her pink skin was darkening to a berry color. </p><p>“Kore! Language!” Lyris scolded the goddess in her arms. </p><p>“Ugh, my mom is not here, Lyr, please do not be a surrogate mom,” Kore growled, giving a subtle eye roll. <br/> </p><p>Hecate was still maintaining a calm composure as if Kore’s outburst had not bothered her. The three girls from the mortal realm were quickly learning how much the witch loved her earl grey tea. She poured some more tea for herself and then topped off the other three girls’ teacups. The witch was using the time to reflect on the past few months of strange events that she had witnessed in her own realm. Coincidentally, not long ago, Hades had a demigod who specialized in healing the sick put to death when he dared bring the dead back to life, stepping into her King’s domain. She could not help but wonder if the events were planned by divine intervention. “Kore, you make this sound like it was an accident. Did you intentionally poison that village?” Hecate asked the young goddess in a rational tone while blowing on her steaming tea. </p><p>“N-no! Of course not! I would never do such a thing intentionally.” Kore said with a tone of utter disbelief, giving extra emphasis to the word ‘intentionally’. </p><p>“And I would never imagine you doing so,” Hecate said simply. Suddenly she stood up from her seat and walked over to her desk, “would you look at the time, it is well into the afternoon, I should probably get us all some lunch.” Without giving time for others to reply, she grabbed her desk phone and made a call, “Minthe, could you be a dear and order lunch for me and three others? They are vegetarian and from the mortal realm if that helps with meal selection. I was thinking something warm, maybe soups and paninis? Thank you.” She hung up the phone and waltzed back over to the couches and reclaimed her seat near Kore and Lyris. Hecate paused to sip her tea then looked at all three. “Are you three familiar with one of Hera’s daughters, Eris? She is a goddess that works closely with our moirai.”</p><p>“What does the goddess of chaos and discord have to do with this?” Oria sat up in her seat and leaned closer to Hecate in curiosity. </p><p>“Who are the moirai?” Kore whispered to Lyris. <br/> </p><p>Hecate must have heard their breathed exchange because she replied with the answer. “The moirai, or the fates, determine the fate of every living thing's past, present, and future. Like I said before, Eris works closely with them from time to time, because some predestined events can only occur with some of Eris’ chaos thrown into the mix.” The witch explained. “There has been no mass casualty alarm set off here in the Underworld, meaning that these deaths were planned by the fates and possibly with the help of Eris.”</p><p>“Are you saying I was that wench’s puppet?!” Kore raged. “I killed my friends Hecate!” Lyris gripped the goddess in her arms tighter to keep her from springing up to stand in front of Hecate. She worried about what the small goddess might do in her fury. Kore may be only a child, but she was still the child of Demeter and inherited her mother’s calm exterior with unfathomable ferocity once set off.</p><p>Hecate did not seem phased by this response from what Oria observed. She must have been used to these types of responses after working under the king of the dead for so long. “They might not be dead yet, Kore, you can still say goodbye and make sure they have a proper burial. Make sure they make it across the Styx safely.” She said in a gentle voice. </p><p>Tears were streaming from Kore’s eyes now. The flowers in her hair were withering, dying, then reviving to bloom in a quick repetitive cycle while the goddess processed Hecate’s words. Lyris released the child from her vice grip but allowed her to remain on her lap. Kore leaned her back and side against Lyris and the couch and tucked her knees up to hide her face behind them. “They’re too young to go, Hecate. They are my age. Some are younger than me.” She sobbed. “Isn’t there a way to bring them back? Aren’t you the goddess of necromancy?” The dead flowers fell from her hair and onto the couch cushions where Lyris was consciously collecting them to minimize the mess for Hecate.</p><p>“Child, necromancy has been outlawed since the fall of the titans. The last man that dared to raise the dead was executed by Hades and sent to the fields of punishment.” Hecate had a hand on the little goddess’ right calf and was making soft circles with her thumb, hoping to soothe the girl. Though necromancy was Hecate’s domain, she understood why it was outlawed. It was difficult to perform the rites perfectly and all too often the soul would not rejoin the revived body, causing the soul an eternity of excruciating pain. “Even if I could, I respect the rights of the dead too much to take away their final chance at rest.”</p><p>Kore attempted to control her breathing. She was confused by Hecate’s words. What were the “rights of the dead”? How was death “restful”? As a child of life and of the light, she was taught that death was never a good thing. She only knew of the uncertainty that surrounded death that the mortals knew and that even the gods could die if they were destined to. She knew they were destined to the Underworld but could only picture the dead body as it rotted in the soil. Vulnerable and forgotten were the words she used to describe death. She wiped the tears from her eyes and Hecate handed her a tissue for the boogers that ran down her nose. For a goddess, she had yet to learn how to cry pretty. </p><p>Oria’s head turned towards the office entryway with a look of amusement in her eyes. “Looks like someone came to cheer you up, Kore.” The nymph chimed. </p><p>The rest followed her gaze to see Cerberus in his smallest form walking towards Kore and sitting next to her on the floor. The stygian pup placed one of his large heads on her lap and Kore gave the dog a small smile and stroked his short fur.</p><p>“It seems he has taken a liking to you. That isn’t easy. The king would be impressed.” Hecate smiled at the dog and reached over to scratch the top of one of his other heads. <br/> </p><p>Kore ignored Hecate’s praise recalling the train of thought she was just on. “Hecate what did you mean by the ‘rights of the dead’ and ‘their final rest’? Is the afterlife pleasant?” </p><p>There were not many gods that had ever taken time to ask Hecate, Hades, or even Thanatos of how the dead were treated once they were judged. If anything, most could care less for the mortals as long as they still received worship and sacrifices. Hearing Kore’s inquiry took Hecate aback since she rarely had to answer this question. She was not sure where to start with a child. It would honestly be better to show her the process rather than explain it, but this child was crunched on time. Kore had to return to her friends so she could say her goodbyes and bury them. “Death is much more blissful than the living make it out to be since it is unknown to them until it is happening, “the goddess explained, “I would love to show you the process and where the shades go but I think we might have to save that for your next visit to the Underworld.”</p><p>It was at this moment that a river nymph with vermilion skin, hair, and eyes opened the large, obsidian office door and walked into the room with four plastic takeout boxes stacked against her chest. She was wearing a violet sweater dress with a high neck, long sleeves, and went past her knees. The dress fit her fairly loosely and was paired with a charcoal blazer and flats- a quite modest look for a nymph. Her hair was in a French twist and her makeup was minimal if absent. Kore thought she was very pretty with her simple outfit and makeup. “Hello Hecate, I have lunch for four. I found a café that served vegetarian soups and paninis, so I hope these are alright.” She said in a cheerful voice. “Oh, aren’t you such a cutie.” The nymph said when she turned to see Kore, who was huddled on the corner of the couch with Cerberus. The nymph bent down and lightly pinched the goddess’ cheek for a second and then returned to her task. </p><p>Kore just looked at the nymph with confused eyes. She was unsure of how to respond to a nymph babying her if the nymph did not know she was a goddess. Her hands nervously and mechanically scratched the hell hound’s necks while she thought of a response. </p><p>“Thank you for getting our lunch, Minthe. However, please be careful of who you are speaking to. You just spoke to a goddess as if she were your inferior.” Hecate said flatly while opening the boxes to make sure everyone had a decent meal. </p><p>Minthe’s eyes grew wide and she got on her knees and apologized to Kore for the rude behavior. Kore looked even more uncomfortable having a nymph kneeling before her with her hands in prayer to avoid a child’s wrath. “I-it’s alright really. I know you meant well. “Kore tried to reassure the nymph. She was not used to the etiquette of being a goddess. Her mom kept her far too sheltered for her to be in this situation. </p><p>“Thank you for your generosity, vibrant goddess.” Minthe said in a shy whisper before rising from her spot and rushing to the door to take her leave. </p><p>Kore exchanged a look with her two nymphs in confusion. They seemed to have understood what had unfolded but their mouths were too full to explain. Hecate seemed to just have an amused look on her face seeing the wheels turn in the little goddess’ head. From what the elder goddess had just witnessed, it seems the little goddess had no knowledge of the social hierarchy and the power she held over many other mystical creatures. </p><p>Having her extroverted energy and short attention span, Kore quickly forgot the strange exchange with the river nymph and began a casual conversation with Hecate and her friends. Their conversations went to things such as Hecate inquiring about Demeter, the flower nymphs asking about how she could identify dried flowers so easily, Kore wanting to know what a polecat was, and how certain plants and herbs could be medicinal. Kore was unsure how long they were talking, there was no sun in the Underworld for her to tell time with like in the mortal realm and she was still learning how to read a clock. </p><p>Eventually, Hecate ran out of tea in the pot, and she used this as her transition to her next question, “Will you three need to stay overnight in the Underworld before returning?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. A goddess' plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Meanwhile on Olympus and in Savoca...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On Olympus, a golden sports car weaved through traffic followed by a chorus of screams and car horns from other cars and pedestrians witnessing the gilded car’s reckless driving. Inside the car was a tall, lean, purple god with glowing saffron eyes struggling to look through his sunglasses to keep his eyes on the road. Periodically, he rubbed his temples with one of his large hands, hoping to ease the stress migraine that he had been having the last 24 hours. “That damn brat.” He groaned while slowing to a halt at the gate of Zeus’ estate. </p>
<p>As he walked up the rest of the length of the driveway to the front door, he could hear the prayers that had been causing his migraine. As if they were like a whisper in his ear or yelling to him from a distance.</p>
<p>
  <em> “Please, great god of medicine save me and my family…” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “Do you even care? My only son has died now…” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “God of healing help us to rid our land of this horrid plague..”  </em>
</p>
<p>Some of the prayers were to his demigod son, Asclepius, but those prayers were now forwarded to him ever since his son’s execution. Asclepius had to step into Hades’ domain, he just had to raise the dead, prove to all of Olympus that death was not important to maintaining stability. As much as it breaks Apollo’s heart, his son was wrong, and Asclepius was mangled by Cerberus. It still sends chills down Apollo’s spine to imagine where his soul is now in the Underworld. With his son gone and this plague beginning, Apollo’s migraines were constant from the mortals’ prayers, the god could not handle another minute of this. </p>
<p>He grabbed the golden knocker on the front door and knocked it hard against the front door several times. As much as the sound felt like shards of glass smashing into his brain, he wanted to send the message that this was urgent and that he was not happy. The Halcyon door opened to reveal one of Apollo’s least favorite half-siblings, Ares. The yellow god with a sun-kissed tan around his eyes from the helm he wore during wars stood almost a foot taller than Apollo and carried much more muscle mass. He wore his favorite white tank top and grey sweatpants which showcased the bandage wrapping he had on his chest that looked to be from a stab wound. The war god peered down at Apollo in a look of annoyance, “what do you want, band geek?” </p>
<p>Apollo growled in irritation but ignored the comment knowing he was in no mood to explain his Lyre to the god of war. “Shouldn’t you be putting a spear in some mortal’s chest cavity?” He spat.</p>
<p>“Wars over, princess.” Ares rolled his eyes. “And I live here, so why are you here?”</p>
<p>Apollo hesitated for a minute. Ares was protective of his sisters, especially Eris since she was known to anger other gods often. His honest answer was going to likely trigger the war god. “I am here to see Eris.” The violet god finally replied.</p>
<p>“Eris, huh.” Ares gave a surprised expression. “Here I thought you came to kiss my old man’s ass again.” The large god stepped aside and gestured for Apollo to come in. </p>
<p>“You aren’t going to ask why I am coming to talk to your sixteen-year-old sister?” He asked as he stepped into the mansion and removed his tan leather jacket to hang. </p>
<p>“I am not concerned,” Ares assured. “Eris can kick your ass any day of the week.”</p>
<p>Apollo scowled at the gold-toned god but stopped when he realized that Ares was not even watching to see his angered response. </p>
<p>The mansion itself was grand and had a very luxurious aesthetic that Apollo admired. White, smokey marble with gold veins followed with gold and jeweled detailing and intricate carvings. The furniture was all ornate with brightly colored fabrics and also detailed with gold and jewels. There were many, many white roses, and green-leafed plants. Eris’ room was in a lesser-used part of the estate that the servants were never allowed to enter. Zeus hoped the isolation would keep his daughter on her best behavior and minimize the chaos she ensued; however, the fates always found a way to get what they wanted, and Eris was a clever planner. </p>
<p>Apollo could hear her before he could see her. He heard the erratic beats of drums and the accelerated strums of a guitar from the other end of the wing’s corridor. All of the hallways looked the same if one were not observant to memorize the paintings or the color of the furniture in each space. Eris’ bedroom door was covered with warning signs to keep out and to ‘knock at your own risk’. The sun god had only met Eris on occasion, but those times were for civil family gatherings with Zeus and Hera close by to control her. Apollo was not even sure what her powers even were beyond that she was able to cause chaos by using other’s flaws and abilities against them. A master manipulator and possible psychopath. </p>
<p> With a shaky hand, he knocked on the door and waited. The music continued to play and there was no response. Maybe she could not hear me over the music, he thought. He knocked again with a stronger hand and waited. No response but the music stopped. “Eris?” Apollo called out from behind the door. </p>
<p>From behind the door, he could hear the stomping of feet and someone quickly turning the handle and ripping the door open quickly. Eris was a relatively short goddess, standing at about 5’3”. Her skin was a light lavender color and her hair was dyed raven black with some of her purple roots showing through as a balayage effect. The dark purple features were drastically contrasted by the bright golden eyes that she inherited from her mother. She wore black leggings and a ripped, black crop top with the cover art of an obscure metal band from the Underworld Apollo hand seen a poster for a few months back. Her nails were painted a dirty grey-golden color and her lips and eye makeup were black. “Do you need something Apollo, I am busy self-loathing in here.” The teen said sarcastically. Everyone knew how she was only to leave her room only when it was required of her. </p>
<p>The rage inside Apollo began to boil up again, the walk to the room calmed him down until he was in front of the cause of his migraines. “Because of you my son is dead, there is a plague, and I am getting no sleep!” He hissed as his eyes began to glow a brilliant amber in his rage.</p>
<p>Eris rolled her eyes and pulled a pack of gum from her pocket. She popped two pieces in her mouth and handed two pieces to the angry god in front of her. “Chew on this, it will help calm you down. As for your son, he was the idiot who got himself killed.” She turned away from the door frame, walked to her bed, and sat at the edge. With her hand, she gestured for Apollo to sit on the couch that was across from her bed. Which he did reluctantly while popping the gum into his mouth. </p>
<p>“Now for the plague you speak of,” she used her hands to make quotation marks around the word plague, “plague is such a big word and is definitely not what is happening in the village.” She said in an assured tone as she crossed her legs and brushed her fingers through her hair nonchalantly. </p>
<p>The sun god’s eyes were scanning the chaotic teen’s room for sheer curiosity. She had many metal and hard rock band posters from many Underworld bands and a consistent color theme of purple, grey, and black with the occasional white. Her room was cleaner than what most teens’ rooms would be, Apollo could imagine, it was certainly cleaner than Hermes’ room. “Well if it is not a plague then what is it? I might be able to fix it?” Apollo said excitedly. Plagues were a lot of work and difficult to fix because of all of the time and travel related to treatment and isolation, which was impossible for someone who was also the god of the sun and prophecy. </p>
<p>Eris’ eyes glowed a brilliant amber in frustration, this was clearly her warning to Apollo not to mess with her creation. “It may not be a plague Apollo, but I did not say it can be reversed. The damage is done. This fate has been years in the making.” She said sternly. </p>
<p>“Well, what in Tartarus am I supposed to do, Eris!” Apollo yelled as he stood up from his seat. “While you are sitting in your cozy corner of a mansion manipulating fate by causing chaos, my son is dead, the mortals are praying to me so much that I am having migraines… my ability to be a god is questioned because you and those senile triplets want to cause mayhem in a village.” He paused for a moment to rub his temples and groaned in frustration at his headache. These voices were becoming more urgent and frustrated by the minute. “And do not tell me you did not do anything to manipulate Asclepius’ death. Even I know the god of the dead is more rational than to send his mongrel to tear my son apart without a trial!” He was yelling so much that he could feel his voice begin to choke and he cut his sentence short. </p>
<p>“Asclepius had to go for the plan to carry out. He was stepping into another god’s domain and you know what happens when we think we can outdo another god.” Eris said in a flat tone. “I will say, he did inherit your stupid ego. To think he could revive the dead and then say that death was an unnecessary process. When he could not even revive the souls, just the bodies. What do you have but a sad, meaty ragdoll and an asinine demigod who just pissed off one of the big- “She was cut off by Apollo’s enraged shrieking. </p>
<p>“Shut up, shut up, you… you bitch!” It took everything in him not to burn the mansion down in his anger. He kept reminding himself to keep the sun inside himself, do not let it outside of his skin. </p>
<p>Zeus and Hera came running in. Both panting from having to weave through the many hallways to reach the back corner of the mansion. “What’s. With. The. Yelling.” Zeus said between heavy pants. The god of thunder might have a chiseled body, but he had seldom exercised since the Titanomachy. Gods were fortunate to always maintain their beautiful appearance unless you were Hephaestus.</p>
<p>“There is a plague in a mortal village. With my son dead, all of the prayers fall on me and I am getting a migraine because there is nothing I can do. Your little demon child has some role in this!” Apollo pointed one of his amethyst fingers at the goddess of strife, who rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“I told you it is not a plague, get it through your thick skull.” Eris folded her arms and blew a blue bubble of gum that made a quick pop on her lips. </p>
<p>“Eris, “Zeus said in an exasperated groan, “what did you do?” He rubbed his brows together in irritation. “I am still talking with Hades about the whole thing with Asclepius, can’t your old man get a break?” The king of the gods sighed. </p>
<p>The teen walked over and hugged her father and mother. “Sorry Dad, I cannot talk about what I agree to do with the fates. Just know that I am doing it all with the moirai.” The lavender goddess assured. “I am not doing anything that was not predestined.”</p>
<p>“Should we do something about the mortals?” Hera looked over at her husband in concern. If Apollo were receiving prayers to the point of migraines, whatever their daughter has caused would be a serious casualty.  </p>
<p>“Well Hera, she says whatever she has done cannot be reversed and we have to let it ride out. I want sick leave for the migraine she is giving me.” Apollo said while his fingers were massaging his temples still and he was scrunching his eyes to minimize the light he sees. </p>
<p>“Whatever. I don’t care. I am sure Helios would welcome the quiet time.” Zeus said in an annoyed tone. Then his head turned to look at his lilac daughter and who he affectionately referred to as his ‘angry child’. “And you miss grumpy goddess, make this thing go quick so I do not have all of Olympus breathing down my neck. I am trying to go a month without causing unpredicted weather.”</p>
<p>Eris was lying prone on her bed at this point sending photos of her parents and Apollo huddled together arguing to friends on her ShadeSnap with captions such as <em> ‘who knew the sun god was so whiny’ </em>  or  <em> ‘maybe he finally heard some better music visiting me today’ </em>. “Whatever you say pops.” She muttered, ignoring everything he had just said.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em> The first sense she noticed was a strong, unnatural smell. It reminded her of her introductory studies to alchemy and how these particular fumes made her nauseous. That smell was mixed with the smell of decaying flesh. Not naturally decaying flesh. This was much stronger. As if they were dismantling corpses to make the stink permeate the air quicker. When her vision came to, she saw that their rivers and lakes were red and littered with pieces of human flesh. The graves she had worked so painstakingly to dig for her friends, family, and neighbors were all dug up with these dead blue flowers mixed in with the dirt. Bones were spread out meticulously in position with where they were on the body and presumably whose body they were from. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>  There stood Kore, her friend she had not seen in days. There was a menacing aura about her. She did not look human at all. She still had her pale skin and the frail size and shape of her teen body, but her eyes were as red as the blood that smeared her face and the massive scythe she was welding. That beautiful wine-colored hair she always envied was in messy waves hiding much of her face. Pia was not sure if it was the disorganized parting of the girl’s hair or if there really was a black crown of thorns on top of her friend’s head. Kore’s feet levitated a few inches off of the ground, avoiding having to walk through the puddles of blood and mazes of bones. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Kore had a scowl that was directed towards a group of men that were still alive and were trembling at her feet. “It is more than revolting when mortals are stealing from other mortals.” She spat. “It sickens me and angers the other gods.” Her arms raised up above her, a light seemed to collect in her hands in a pink luminescence and be eaten away from the sky. The surrounding plant life withered and browned or turned to ash. The men trembling before her seemed to age rapidly. The glamour that was holding Kore’s mortal visage faded at this point and the beauty of a very young, fuchsia-skinned goddess was revealed. Pink, a color that seemed to be a color of love and sweetness, now held a much more menacing significance.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I do not know who this goddess is, Pia thought to herself. She had heard and seen depictions for all of the gods and goddesses in her studies as a young soothsayer. She had never seen anything like this one. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> The aging men must have also not known who they had angered, as well, because they had named her only after what they knew her for. “Please, I beg you. Persephone. Please, spare us. We will make it right to the dead and never do this again!” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> They named her Persephone. The bringer of death, wisdom, and the destroyer of light. How fitting, Pia noted. </em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Pia’s eyes fluttered open as she felt the tickling of the long stalks of ferns brushing her forehead as the wind changed its direction. She had fallen asleep again by the lake. It had been two days since the start of the outbreak. She had to bury her mother and father the same night Kore left the village after seeing Aniello and Aida. Since then she had returned to their lakeside grave every night instead of returning to an empty home. She was not used to sleeping in the grass or the feeling of morning dew on her skin, but she liked that she could roll right out of bed into a bath in the lake and how the birds seemed to sing her reassuring songs that everything will be alright as she rested her back on the tree near their burial mound. </p>
<p>Vasil worried for her because he knew she refused to visit her home since she found them dead, but he did not stop her from sleeping at the lakeside cemetery every night. On the contrary, he made a point to visit the cemetery before it got too dark to place flowers on all of the graves. It was his way of finding an excuse to check in on her and she knew it. Pia found it adorable how he always tried to hide his emotions or concerns for others. He was a cute, baby-faced boy with a lean, thin frame from being so young and working in the fields. He always tried too hard to pretend to be a manly man, she felt. </p>
<p>Looking across the open field towards the village she could see Vasil’s figure making his way to her now with an armful of wildflowers. A smile began to pull across her face seeing the normally nonchalant boy have a face of full concentration as he tried not to let any of the flowers drop. The falling sun’s dying light seemed to bring out a new kind of glow in his sage green eyes that Pia had never seen. It reminded her of the moss on the lake’s shore. The boy began placing a few flowers onto each mound of dirt, trying to recall who was in each one to give them a mournful nod of acknowledgment.</p>
<p>Pia felt her heart twist hearing him recall some of the names. Many of the adults had fallen ill, leaving burial to Pia, Vasil, and anyone else who was physically able. She still had a nagging thought in the back of her mind wondering if a single gold coin were enough to bury them with or did they dig deep enough that no animals or rain would reveal their corpses to the harsh elements? It was a sense of inexperience with death that haunted her. No one talked about it for fear it would come upon them. In hindsight, it seemed stupid to her now since nobody ever spoke of it, yet now their village was almost wiped out. </p>
<p>She cringed thinking about how sick Dea, Aida, and Aniello were today when Vasil and her went to check on them. Their cheeks and eyes were sunken, and their skins had taken an ashy undertone. Their eyes still held some movement, it might have been too much hope for Pia to say maybe some life, but they could not swallow any food or water and were now unable to move at all. When she tried to feed them or moisten their mouths, she heard this horrifying noise from the back of their throats. It was as if they were choking on their own tongues or inhaling more than just air. She noticed that even too much saliva caused the noise and forced them to lay on their sides with their mouths wide open, terrified they might aspirate to death. The middle of Pia’s back and shoulders were still in pain from having to help move her friends in bed to get them cleaned up for the day. What broke her heart most was the lack of emotion Aida and Aniello had when Vasil explained that their father and mother had passed within hours of each other. Their faces did not change at all but some tears were dripping from their eyes. They seemed broken and trapped in a lifeless body. </p>
<p>A tear dripped down Pia’s eye as her emerald eyes met Vasil’s sage eyes. Her arms outstretched and took the small bouquet of purple and white flowers. She felt herself wincing for a moment in pain as she worked her biceps to move her arms. Pia’s arms were also sore from digging so many graves today. </p>
<p>Vasil frowned seeing her tear and pained expression and bent to the ground, plucking a yellow dandelion, and handing it to her. “A flower for your thoughts?” He inquired with concerned eyes.</p>
<p>Faking a playful smile, she replied coyly, “This is a weed, silly.” As she used the yellow part of the plant to bop the boy on the tip of his nose causing him to roll his eyes in playful annoyance. </p>
<p>“Remember what our dear Kore said about weeds?” He grinned playfully, and in a high-pitched, pretend-female voice quoted, “Weeds are just flowers that anger people because they grow in places no one thinks they should. They play by their own rules.” He then joined Pia in sitting cross-legged underneath the large white cherry blossom tree that she chose to bury her parents under. “Are you doing okay, Sweet Pea?” He said his nickname for her that she had no say in, but it grew on her over time. </p>
<p>Pia set the flowers he gave her on her parents’ mound but twirled the dandelion in her fingers. Fidgeting with the sticky stem was distracting her from the stress of the situation. “There is just a lot going on. You know?” </p>
<p>He nodded and gave an all-knowing sigh. “I doubt we will make it out of this alive.”</p>
<p>“I thought I was the one who saw the future?” Pia replied sarcastically, trying to hide the fear in her voice. She had wondered the same thing herself if she would survive, there were not many visions to her future that she could see any more. It was as if someone took her fate away from her suddenly. There used to be snippets of her first meeting Apollo to discuss becoming a true fortuneteller, her guiding the lost souls still in the mortal realm to the entrance of Hades, running away from home to seek a secret life living at the base of Mount Olympus, and Kore. She did not know why but she saw Kore’s face many times in her future. Always with flowers in her hair and handing her a bouquet of these strange blue blossoms. </p>
<p>Vasil gave a shrug. “It is just a hunch I suppose. I am no oracle or soothsayer, I cannot see the future or the souls of the dead like you can, but I do believe the gods still gave every man a sense of when their time is up… “He paused for several long moments. It had gotten much darker since he had arrived at the lakeside. The outline of the moon was just beginning to show, and Pia could feel goosebumps form on her arms as the temperature dropped several degrees and the wind picked up. “Pia, we may be only thirteen years old, but these last few days have aged us. Some men do not even see things like this, let alone live it.”</p>
<p>Pia began to tie her hair up to keep it from getting in her face as the wind picked up. She ignored the soreness of her shoulders and biceps and used a piece of ribbon she had to messily tie her hair into a bun. “And are you okay with dying so young, Vasil?” She said with concern in her eyes. There was not much they lived to see to suddenly stop and die now, she thought. </p>
<p>“Well, can Hades send a thirteen-year-old to Tartarus after living so little and doing so much to aid the sick and the dead?” He phrased it as if it were a rhetorical question. “I can’t fear death if I have done nothing wrong.” He replied calmly. </p>
<p>“You are of a strange sort, Vasil, not many mortals are fearless in the face of gods.” Pia shook her head looking at her friend skeptically. </p>
<p>Vasil’s eyes widened and he shook his head briskly while chuckling to himself. “Don’t get me wrong, I will always be terrified of the gods, but I know better than to convince myself that I will be treated wrongly for doing nothing.”</p>
<p>At that, Pia began giggling to herself. This boy is a moron, she thought to herself, as she fell back in the grass and huddled her legs up to her chest in laughter. “Vasil you boob, the gods can do whatever they want. They are gods.” She spoke between fits of laughter. “Mortals are toys, not pets.”</p>
<p>The boy let out a sigh of defeat, questioning if he was naïve or not thinking that the gods believed in mutual respect. Regardless, he pursed his lips and gave Pia an annoyed look of resignation as he decided to lay next to the girl in the grass. He waited patiently for her to stop laughing at his childish antics, which took several minutes before he attempted to open his mouth to speak again. </p>
<p>“Oh, my gods, my stomach hurts from laughing so much.” She chuckled quietly while wiping the joyful tears from her eyes. </p>
<p>“You have a very cynical sense of humor you know that?” Vasil deadpanned. </p>
<p>This caused Pia to giggle a little more before speaking. “I blame the homeschooling that focused on my duties as an oracle.”</p>
<p>“Do you even want to be one?” He cocked a brow, allowing more moonlight to illuminate his green eyes. They glowed in comparison to the green grass below them. “You don’t seem to even like the gods.”</p>
<p>“I don’t hate the gods, I only have heard stories of what the gods can do to disobeying oracles,” Pia shrugged, “I would rather seek out my own adventures, however. Oracles cannot speak to the dead, yet I can, I feel there is more to my future than spending my days giving farmers fortunes about crops. It is strange seeking out death, but I think I need to find that part of my future.”</p>
<p>“Can you see the dead right now?” He asked curiously. </p>
<p>She glanced up and looked to their village to see the lost souls of the very recently deceased whose forms illuminated vibrant hues of various colors. There were pieces of their forms peaking from windows of their homes or from around buildings as they wandered the town aimlessly. Waiting for the angel of death, Thanatos, to guide them to Acheron. “I can see, hear, and speak to them, but I would rather not talk to them right now.”</p>
<p>“Is that why you lay here every night? To see your parents?”</p>
<p>The memory of walking to her home to see Thanatos walkout still made her stomach lurch. The god was well over twice her height with ashen skin that would have made any mortal look sickly if he did not exude a godly white luminance. His wings and hair matched his skin, but his eyes were this icy blue, they were so pale they might as well had been clear. He was lean and had a defined bone structure and musculature that was contoured by a baby blue color. Pia did not need to think twice about who this god was. She saw the scythe and his plain, black cloak. She knew he was Hades’ soul fetcher and that he was sent to take her parents. “Couldn’t I have said goodbye?” She whimpered. Her brain barely registered the god’s unapologetic, “sorry kid.” She walked in and found both her parents dead, a fresh pot of white flower tea on the stove poured into two cups and her mom holding a small bunch of purple flowers her father must have plucked for her in the fields. </p>
<p>She felt a tear wet the side of her cheek and pulled herself from the grotesque memory to meet Vasil’s gaze once again. “That is not why I do it. I can’t see my parents anymore. Thanatos has already claimed them.” Her voice began to crack. “I just do not want to be alone in that house.” The tears began to seep out from her eyes. </p>
<p>“Hey, hey… I am here, Sweet Pea.” Vasil attempted to reassure the crying blonde by awkwardly patting her back. They stayed like this for several minutes. Pia sobbing into her hands and Vasil awkwardly reaching over to pat the girl’s back and give reassuring words while they both laid on the ground facing each other. The sky was now so dark that all of the stars were visible, and one could see the three-quarter moon and part of its shadow. Some crickets could be heard humming between Pia’s wails and a few of the stars eventually began to move and morph into lightning bugs as Vasil stared at them more. He gave up his strange attempt at comforting Pia, realizing it was not helping the situation at all and rolled onto his back to stare up at the stars. “I know what it feels like, to be alone.” He began and the crying turned into quiet, shaking breaths. “I remember having to bury my parents when I was five with my aunt and uncle, who you helped me bury today.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t know we buried your aunt and uncle… I didn’t know your parents were even dead, Vasil. How come you never told any of us?” Pia looked confused at him while wiping her tears and sniffling. </p>
<p>“No one ever asked but Aniello. He knew about my parents. He felt it was not his story to tell, I guess.” He shrugged. His eyes met Pia’s swollen, emerald gaze. She looked drained of all life and energy after crying that much. “How about I join you out here tonight? That way you are not really alone.”</p>
<p>“You don’t mind sleeping outside on a grave?” She questioned while failing to prevent a yawn from escaping her lips. </p>
<p>Vasil’s eyes were still up at the stars remembering how he and Aniello used to argue where the constellations were. “No, Aniello and I used to camp out here a lot.” He smiled thinking of his friend. </p>
<p>They talked for another couple of hours about numerous subjects. It had never occurred to Vasil how much Pia’s parents had done to educate their daughter. She was taught obvious things such as the history of the gods and the science of medicine to things no one would teach a young girl such as archery and hunting. It seemed they might have wanted her to be ready for more than just being an oracle as well, even if Pia did not know it. </p>
<p>He was not sure where in their conversation he had fallen asleep, but he had stirred to her giggling and the tickling of flower stems around his head. Then he felt sleep pull him into a dizzying trance once more as it felt like he was spinning in blackness with his eyes being closed. Falling into an abyss of slumber. </p>
<p>While Pia arranged a halo of flowers around Vasil’s head, she felt a tickling warmth in her hand that held the bunch of wildflowers. Her head was also beginning to bob and feel heavy and her eyelids were drooping in exhaustion. However, she fought the urge to sleep or to itch the palm of her hand and finished her masterpiece. Vasil’s flower crown. </p>
<p>Admiring her work, she noticed her vision begin to double and fade in and out of blurriness. She fell to the ground laying on her side again and tried to drop the flowers, her hand was feeling numb, only to realize she could no longer move the hand that held the bouquet. Unsure if it was from anxiety or from whatever was happening, her breathing began to slow, and every breath was labored and shaky. She flared her nostrils and worked painfully against her lungs to elongate her inhalations. It felt like there was a boulder sitting on her chest, preventing her lungs from expanding. The skin around her eyes, lips, fingers, and toes began to feel like ice as all the blood seemed to drain from them. The muscles within her ribcage were in excruciating pain trying to work against this unseen force for her to breathe. There was the chill of tears dripping down her cheeks as she heard what sounded like a labored wheeze escaping Vasil’s lips. Soon after, her ribs could no longer fight against the force and they exhausted themselves. </p>
<p>She was unsure how long she and Vasil laid there next to each other, over her parents’ graves covered in wildflowers, but she recognized the angel of death’s voice as he claimed her soul. “Rest now, children. Your fight is over. You can rest now.” He soothed. </p>
<p><em> So now he was nice to me </em>, she internally raged. Then she felt the scythe rip through her chest.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Will you three need to stay overnight in the Underworld before returning?” Hecate asked Kore and her two flower nymphs. All four of them had long finished their lunch and the pot of earl grey tea Hecate brewed for the group. They had spent the last few hours conversing about the Underworld’s history and Hecate’s experience using only plants to create potions. Both topics Kore found fascinating. </p>
<p>Kore searched for a way to tell the time in the goddess’ office but could not see a clock and knew there was no sun in the Underworld for her to estimate the time of day. “That depends. What time is it, Hecate?” Kore looked out the window to indicate to the goddess she had no way to tell the time. </p>
<p>“Oh, of course, where are my manners.” The goddess chuckled and looked down at her gold and onyx watch. “It is 6 pm, love. You would be able to make it safely back to Demeter’s estate by nightfall if I made you a door through the ether.” The witch gestured to the small cauldron on her desk and the mortar and pestle beside it.</p>
<p>“That would be wonderful, Hecate, I really appreciate the help and hospitality.” Kore smiled up at the azure goddess. Her words were signal for her nymphs to stand and begin packing the tea jars back into the bag. However, Hecate stopped the nymphs before they could start their task. </p>
<p>“The pleasure is all mine. Anything for the daughter of an old friend.” She rested a hand over the jars, signaling the nymphs to stop packaging up the jars. “Would it be alright if I kept these jars with me if you won’t be needing them? I always welcome more plants for future projects.”</p>
<p> Kore raised her brow curiously but understood that this was a part of her domain as being the goddess of magic and witchcraft. She nodded and gestured for her nymphs to unpack what teas they did already pack and give them to Hecate. Hecate smiled in satisfaction and began to collect the jars, still holding them by their colored pairings, which Kore observed. “Hecate, we never did identify that unknown pairing.” The little goddess probed. “The one with the purple flower petals…”</p>
<p>The goddess of witchcraft understood Kore’s hint of curiosity and pulled the pairing from the cluster of jars. Comparing the two jars it was apparent that some of the purple petals in one of the jars had a small streak of yellow while the other was only a plain purple. Hecate opened her emerald text and held her hand out wide while a wind gusted through the room and forced the book to turn pages until she found what she wanted. “I can tell you the purple and yellow flowers are irises, which is strange to use in an apothecary, those flowers have no medicinal purposes.” The witch explained. She placed the jar of yellow and purple petals back on the table and reached for the other jar to study its petals. “What a strange shade of purple… they are almost grey when they’re dry.” She muttered.</p>
<p>“Their shape almost reminds me of- “Kore stopped her sentence before she was going to say the word ‘helmet’. She pulled Hecate’s book in front of her and began turning and skimming the pages. The plant she was thinking of had so many names she was not sure which one it would be cataloged under. She was at the back of the book by the time she found it. Wolfsbane. Also called Devil’s Helmet, Blue Rocket, and Queen of Poisons. </p>
<p>Hecate peered over to see what plant Kore was reading about. “That’s not good either.” She murmured. </p>
<p>Kore nodded in agreement. This one she knew about. Her mother created this one during the Titanomachy. She warned her about how lethal it was, even to the gods it could be deadly in high doses. This one also had no known antidote because Demeter liked to keep it that way. The little goddess was relieved to learn that this combination was not her fault. Both irises and wolfsbane have been around longer than she has been alive. However, she also felt her friends’ chances of still being alive even grimmer. There was a feeling of a rock dropping from her chest to her stomach making her feel nauseous. “This really was by some divine intervention. The fates wanted that village dead.” Kore whimpered. </p>
<p>“I am afraid it would seem so my dear.” Hecate rubbed the child’s shoulder that was closest to her. “I can have that ether ready in 15 minutes or so if you and your friends would like to just relax on the chairs or stretch your legs in the halls.” She stood up from her spot and waltzed over to her desk where her supplies for making the ether rested. </p>
<p>Oria and Lyris were sitting across from each other on the two couches watching the cerulean goddess curiously as she ground herbs in the mortar and dropped then in the cauldron. Kore decided to take this time to stretch her legs and walk the hallways. The click of the door handle was enough to turn her nymphs’ attention back to her. Both nymphs mechanically snapping their heads towards their child goddess like she is a kid with her hand in a cookie jar. </p>
<p>“Do you want one of us to come with you?” Lyris offered.</p>
<p>“Oh, no, I should be alright, Lyris, I won’t be long,” Kore assured, slowly stepping out the door, hoping she can walk the halls without an escort. </p>
<p>Oria looked at the goddess skeptically. “Are you sure, Kore? You did almost drown in the river Styx today…” She trailed. Hoping the goddess will take her hint.</p>
<p>“I would not worry,” Hecate reassured the nymphs without stopping any of her work. “We are inside Hades’ office building which is very secure. There is nothing but offices, cubicles, and bathrooms up here.” The goddess poured some boiling water from her electric tea kettle into the cauldron, giving the room the scent of wormwood and thieves. </p>
<p>The nymphs did not reply to Hecate’s words and Kore took the goddess’ words of reassurance as permission to walk the halls. The majority of the offices and cubicles had their lights out and there was no sound to be heard in the hallway. <em> Most people must have gone home by now </em>, Kore thought. She decided to just walk through the maze of cubicles and peek into the spaces. She admired the pictures of families that hung and the knick-knacks that sat on the desks. Every once in a while she would come across a plant in a small flowerpot, one of those plants that needed little light or water but were still struggling to survive the cold office air. Her fingers caressed the leaves and petals while pink starlets of her magic strengthened the plant. Before her eyes, the plant’s structure would become more durable and the colors much more vibrant. </p>
<p>There was a hint of envy she felt looking at these desks. These people seemed to have a life she could not have. They had friends that were not limited to flower nymphs. Some people had families and she was not sure if her mom would ever allow her to even try finding love. The knick-knacks and junk food that sat on some of their desks showed that they were free to do whatever they wanted, they could express themselves. Kore could not recall the last time she picked out the color of the dresses her mother made for her. <em> But my mother loves me </em>, Kore reminded herself and shook her head. </p>
<p>At the end of one of the hallways was a wall of glass that showcased the cityscape of the Underworld. Kore’s breath hitched as she saw the same beautiful night sky sparkling in competition with the neon lights of the stores below and the lights from the cars busying the streets and the lights still on in buildings across the road. This was a different type of beauty than what Kore would see in the mortal realm. The beauty she grew up with was full of sunlight, flowers, and nature, this beauty was highly contrasted with darks against lights allowing the night sky to be the inspiration. The rest mimics the look of the twinkling lights in the sky, as the lights from cars, neon lights, and shops all compete to dazzle the eye. It was a different type of aesthetic but Kore liked how different it was. It made her feel like she was finally seeing the world beyond her mother’s estate for once. </p>
<p>“Kore! We are ready to head home!” Lyris called from Hecate’s office.</p>
<p>“I’m coming!” Kore yelled back. She retraced the steps she took through the maze of cubicles to reach the office. </p>
<p><em> I really hope I can come to revisit one day </em>, Kore thought to herself as she stepped into the ether while holding Oria and Lyris’ hands. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading the first six chapters. I hope to have more chapters up by this coming weekend. I hope you have enjoyed so far and will stay tuned!<br/>- Vendetta</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Little Blue Flowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is a very fluff &amp; angst chapter about dealing with death, grief, and processing emotions. I do try to have some humor, however...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi all. Sorry for the very late update. I was hoping to have all this done ("this" being 20 various parts/scenes that I wanted to cover) by Friday but it is now very clear that is not happening till at least next week. I forgot to account for the fact I am a Nurse during COVID19 and that I  need some sleep. <br/>My plan now is to post bits and pieces as I write to a good point so I at least have content posted regularly. Posting might still be unpredictable however because I live that #nurselife. <br/>I hope you enjoy this chapter and there is more to come!<br/>&lt;3 Vendetta</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The ether was a disorienting experience. There seemed to be a continuous shift in equilibrium, confusing the three on which way their body was positioned in the darkness. Kore held Oria and Lyris' hands so tight that her hand muscles were almost cramping. The little goddess worried the sweat on her hands would make her lose her grip on her friends, letting them forever be lost in the layers of the ether. The space itself was nothing but a thick curtain of blackness. Kore could not see the nymphs on either side of her. She could only hear their breaths and feel their touch as they gripped her hands. There was an unseen force, almost like gravity, pulling them towards their destination presumably. It felt like a moving floor under their feet moving at superluminal speed. After what felt like several minutes, a hole of light opened up in the dark curtain and the ether spat the three out causing them to land on their hands and faces in the grass. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore looked up at the sky and inspected the semi-lit sky which had some twinkling stars and a visible moon. "Not the most comfortable form of travel but it is quick." She paused to look at their surroundings. They were sitting in an open field of wildflowers and the estate was in view just near the horizon to the East. "And it looks like it got us from point A to point B." She stood up and brushed the dirt off of her arms and knees. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria had a small scrape on the right side of her face. She moved to sit onto her knees and tried to use a piece of her cloak to wipe any of the mud off of her face. Lyris sat up as soon as she saw Oria trying to ruin her white cloak and moved to try to help her wipe the mud with her hands. “Oh no, you don’t. Blood is a pain to wash out, Oria!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria moaned in frustration at her friend’s attempts to clean her. “Ouch, that stings, Lyr.” She scrunched her face in frustration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be a wuss, your cut is not that bad.” Lyris hissed while she used her thumb to wipe the last of the caked mud from Oria’s forehead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore stared at her friends for a few moments in amusement. The scene reminded her of someone else she could not place. Her eyes then glanced over to the crown of lilies and asphodel that Lyris was wearing from their trip to the Underworld and the memory hit her. Dea used to be that motherly friend who would take care of everyone when they hurt themselves, no matter how much Aniello argued with her. Kore always thought she would make a great healer and mother. The thought of those deadly plants still being near her friends made her heart ache. “Oria… Lyris… if it isn’t too much, can we visit the village tonight? I would sleep better if we went now.” The fuchsia goddess urged her nymphs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria was the first to stand up, anything to get away from Lyris’ motherly nagging. “I don’t mind. I understand completely.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should go now. This is urgent.” Lyris nodded solemnly in agreement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two walked with Kore in the direction of the village, hiking alongside her and grabbing one of her hands. After a few paces, flecks of magenta starlets appeared around the three and encapsulated them in a cloud of rose-toned fog. All that was left was a patch of roses when the cloud dissipated and the group had teleported to the forest tree line just outside of Savoca. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unlike the several other times Kore had visited the village, this time was much different and she noticed it immediately at first glance. Although it was dusk, there were no torches or bonfires lit. She could see the luminous hues of the recently deceased shades wandering the village paths and open fields. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There were so many</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she noted, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why are they still here?</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>A chill went up the little goddess’ spine, she had a bad feeling about whatever she was about to see. As Kore made her first step out of the tree line, Oria and Lyris morphed into doves and flew slightly above her. The shades did not approach Kore as she entered the angora. However, they did seem to want to observe her reactions to their wasting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They must know I am a goddess</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she thought to herself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can only imagine what they think of us now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she sighed to herself internally. She continued to walk through the village’s center, making eye contact with the shades to let them know she could see them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a smell to warn her before she could see it and the stench made her feel nauseous. Her peach doves must have been able to smell the distinct reek of decaying flesh because they morphed to their nymph forms to have their feet planted to the earth. Lyris struggled to breathe from her mouth and nose, she was able to taste what she could only describe as rotten sewage and aged meat on her tongue causing her to gag constantly. Oria seemed to manage with just breathing through a small gap between her lips as if she had experienced decaying flesh before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Kore noticed Lyris struggling to control her nausea and used her magic to conjure some ginger, peppermint, and basil to mask the odor and help with nausea. She walked over to one of the seller’s booths that was still left out and grabbed three small cloth bags from behind the counter and fashioned some aromatherapy bags for them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lyris immediately took her herbal pouch and rested it on her face, covering her nose and mouth and crouched to the ground to collect herself. The smell had made the nymph dizzy in addition to nausea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is our plan exactly?” Oria inquired while resting her bag of herbs so it was tied around where her cloak was tied at her neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           The goddess of Spring glanced around at all of the shades staring at them in the angora waiting for the answer. So far they had not seen a villager still living. Letting out a loud sigh she spoke while fidgeting with the strings of her pouch with her small, pink fingers. “For now, we bury the dead and pay our respects.” Some tears pricked her eyes as she said this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And if they are alive?” Lyris said, her voice still muffled by the bag of herbs resting on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t get your hopes up, Kore. Lyris is just too much of an optimist</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kore reminded herself. “I guess if we find anyone alive, we will do what we can to keep them comfortable until their time comes. There is nothing else we can do.” She could feel her voice almost crack saying the last part of that sentence. There was still that voice in her head telling her that this was all her fault. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once Lyris recovered from her episode of vertigo and nausea, they set off towards the smell. Kore only hoped it would only be one or two bodies, maybe some old stock from a butcher. Nothing prepared them for the pile of dead bodies that waited for them by the water fountain. The fountain that Kore and her friends used to meet at was now were people stacked the bodies of their dead loved ones because they could not bury their dead fast enough to keep up. There were at least 50 people piled into various stacks that were higher than Kore. There were not many covered in blood, but many had blue lips, fingers, toes, and pale complexions from not being able to breathe at all. Many of these people were stuck in contorted positions due to rigor mortis, some still holding those white and purple flowers in their hands. Tears began to drip down her cheeks when she saw that many of the bodies holding the flowers were children. She could see the burn marks the white flowers were leaving on their skin that Hecate spoke of. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is all my fault</span>
  </em>
  <span>, that voice in her head whispered again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After taking an hour to check the homes and open fields for more bodies, the three began to drag the bodies to the part of the village Kore understood to be their graveyard. It was right by their lakeshore, which she always thought was strange. The village believed their lake was a direct portal to the Underworld. Kore never believed it was, however, because she had swam in that lake several times and had never once fallen into the Underworld. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kore, there are two more,” Oria called from under a blossom tree. “These ones might be trickier to move.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kores breath caught in her throat as she turned her head in Oria’s direction. Underneath the blossom tree were the two friends that had some hope of surviving this mess. Walking closer, she could see by their translucently white skin and visible vasculature that they had been dead for a while. Pia’s eyes still showed some of their brilliant emerald green past the deathly cloud that passes over the lenses of the eyes. Vasil looked to be peacefully asleep, wearing a flower crown of various wildflowers and wolfsbane. The goddess felt her skin crawl when she saw that Pia’s hands were still clutching tight onto a bouquet of flowers that were prominent of wolfsbane. She did not realize she was crying until she saw one of her tears fall and drip onto Vasil’s sleeping face. “I am so sorry I didn’t come sooner.” She whispered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kore?” Lyris tried to pull Kore from her emotional state. “We won’t be able to touch them until that wolfsbane gets removed. Can you take care of it?” The nymph hinted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh… yeah.” Kore lifted her hand and closed it into a fist quickly causing all of the flowers on the two bodies to turn to ashes. She turned and used the sleeve of her cloak to wipe her eyes. “Can you bury them by this tree? I want to remember where these two are buried.” The two nymphs nodded and allowed their goddess to mourn privately for a few moments. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was near the break of dawn by the time they had buried all the bodies with bouquets of white lilies, narcissus, and asphodel. During the time, Kore had to take a few other breaks to cry when they had found Aida, Aniello, and Dea to bury. They too had earned spots near the blossom tree by Pia and Vasil. The goddess felt nothing but guilt eat at her the whole time she carried and buried every man, woman, and child. It was beginning to be hard to discern if the reason for her heavy eyelids was from exhaustion or from them being so puffy from crying. She prayed she at least prepared them well for the afterlife. She knew nothing of burial rites and rituals, hopefully, flowers were enough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were still fits of crying that she would have, with this unshakable feeling of a broken heart in her chest, but she had run out of tears. Using the blossom tree as something to lean on, she fought the urge to sleep, the tree forcing her to stay sitting upright. “I am sorry, I am so, so sorry…” She whimpered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria and Lyris stood a few feet away watching in concern. This was their little goddess’ first brush with death. The child is immortal. She might never experience death herself but she will see many, many more people die in her lifetime. The realization that this will not be the first time Kore will see death sunk in and she felt something twist in her chest again. “Why does my chest feel so queasy.” Kore sniffled while her hand clutched the center of her sternum. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are feeling heartbreak, Kore,” Lyris spoke softly, walking closer to the young goddess and squatting to her level. “It’s the trade-off we make for having love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Heartbreak? Love? Isn’t that for lovers? They weren’t my lovers, Lyr.” Kore shook her head in confusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lyris smiled. “You can love more than just lovers, silly girl. You can love your mom, friends, family, yourself…. really anyone you want. Oria and I love you because you are our friend. We would be heartbroken if something happened to you.” The nymph explained while using her thumb to wipe away any tears remaining on the goddess’ face. “You are truly fortunate to have had friends that you loved so much that they were that hard to say goodbye to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore shook her head and looked down. “I don’t want to love again if all I will get is heartache. It hurts, Lyr.” She let out a few coughs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kore, a life without love is like a tree with no leaves… no fruit… or no blossoms. You are technically alive but you are not really living life.” The nymph paused and allowed her words to sink into the child’s head. Kore’s eyes were burgundy with bright pink sclera’s from her crying and her eyelids were red and irritated from her salty tears and constant rubbing of her sleeves. Her nose was also turning a bright red at the tip from the runny nose she was getting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sometime during their moment of silence, Oria began to walk over and joined the two, squatting beside Lyris. She must have been able to hear the conversation they were having because she finished the heart to heart with a great point. “Kore just remember that death may leave a heartache that no one can heal but love leaves behind memories that nobody can steal from you. They will always have a place in your memories and we can always come visit here again.” To this, Kore nodded looking tiredly at the ground. “Alright, let's get you home and in bed.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>On the river Styx, Charon stood by his ferry on the shore, collecting coins from recently deceased shades waiting in line to board. Like many ancient civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, the Slavic nomads, Romans, and even some European civilizations, the Greek pantheon required that the dead be buried with a single coin to allow passageway to judgment. This had been a tradition since the beginning of time created by the gods in hopes that the living will pay proper respects to the dead by burying them and allowing their grave to be undisturbed. It was such an ancient tradition that Charon was unsure if even half of the chthonic gods knew why this rule existed. Regardless, he was a god of little vocabulary and powers. He felt honored just to be doing his part to help what he felt was the greatest realm in all of Gaia’s creation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a normal, predictable pattern. Collect coin, nod, and grunt at the shade to enter the ferry. No coin? Ferociously grunt and point to the other side of the beach and possibly threaten with the ferry’s ore. What threw the ancient deity for a loop was all of the shades trying to pay him off with bouquets of white lilies, asphodels, and narcissus. It was not just one shade doing this. Charon had 100 random shades in the line trying to grant passage onto the ferry with floral arrangements. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What was even more frustrating was how these shades would not take no for an answer. Yelling something about a plague and ‘demanding to speak to Charon’s manager’. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do I even have a manager?</span>
  </em>
  <span> The god asked himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was Hecate my manager? She did yell at me the other day…</span>
  </em>
  <span> No matter, he was not going to call the goddess of witchcraft and get another tongue lashing. He still had nightmares from their last encounter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A handful of these florally equipped shades began to charge the god, knocking the cloaked deity to the side and filled the ferry to the brim. Charon made a sound that was a mixture of a grunt and a shriek, sounding like a pregnant woman in intense labor. The noise startled many of the shades in line and resting on the beach and Cerberus who was guarding the nearby entrance. He began to swing the ore at the unwelcome passengers, causing many to duck in horror and some to jump into the Styx. In anger, the majority of the shades holding the flowers began to throw their bouquets at the god causing the beautiful blossoms to litter the river Styx. At least four shades were still in the river struggling to keep afloat while Charon busied himself fighting with the rebellion of shades onshore. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A pair of large silver hands picked up the four shades from the river and brought them back to shore. Standing 50 ft tall, her imposing shadow intimidated the shades and Charon to stop their scuffle and stare at the argent beauty. Styx’s eyes reddened and she scrunched her face in annoyance at the group, “Charon! Your job is to keep your shit together and not litter my river!” The goddess yelled. “How dare you throw shit in my river… HECATE!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if Styx’s voice was a calling beacon, Hecate appeared within seconds of being called for in a puff of indigo smoke and silver glitter flecks. Charon could feel the sweat drip down his back and forehead, dreading the tongue lashing he was sure to get. Meanwhile, Hecate’s saffron gaze scanned the shores of Acheron and took in the disorganization of the shades and the flowers that littered the water. The witch chuckled to herself thinking of who supplied the shades with the bouquets at their burial. “Charon! We do not swing ores at the dead. They have been through enough. They literally just died!” She yelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Charon folded his cloaked arms and hid his face under his hood, making a low grunting noise of frustration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All shades will get free passage today since you swung at so many of them,” Hecate ordered. Charon let out a grunt in horror in response. “Well, you just earned yourself river cleanup duty when transport is slow.” The ferryman folded his arms in protest. “Yes Charon, and you will not be done until Styx says there is not a single petal left in the river.” The ferryman of the dead let out a series of low grunts that almost sounded like quiet sobs. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It would have made the goddess less guilty to have had a fitful slumber but she actually fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow. The exhaustion from the traveling, the carrying and burying of the dead, and the hours of mourning had finally caught up to Kore. For the first time in a long time, she had no dreams or emotions when she awoke, just the feeling of emptiness and the memory of seeing nothing but the darkness in her sleep. That was how she had always imagined death. Being nothing. It was something she dreaded. However, after her trip to the Underworld, she knew this was untrue. The dead would not fall into blackness; They would not lose their senses. Still, she could not shake the guilt that ate at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun was past its peak and the clouds were in thin wisps that had no way of blocking the sun’s rays from reaching Gaia’s surface. Kore laid on her back in the field of wildflowers the ether had brought her to yesterday and ran her fingers through the flowers near her body. Her mind still wrapped around the grief she felt over the village. The pain in her chest was no longer there but her heart felt open, exposed, vulnerable, and she did not like it. She felt fragile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” A faint, feminine voice asked from somewhere behind Kore’s head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore bent her head upside down to see one of the younger flower nymphs. She looked to be around Kore’s age, probably taller than the little goddess, with mostly blue hair cut short to her ears. She smiled at the goddess. “I don’t think we have met formally, my lady, I’m Anemone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am Kore.” She replied reluctantly. She was not sure if she wanted any company.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I join you?” Her eyes were a dark berry color that appeared genuine to Kore. The nymph had a shy air about her that did not make the goddess think she was one of her mother’s pets. Probably just a nymph trying to find safety in her mother’s estate. Kore gestured to the spot on her left and the nymph laid down beside the magenta child. The nymph fidgeted with the skirt of her white chiton in silence for a few minutes before asking again, “So …what are you doing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The goddess of Spring flashed her rose-colored gaze to the timid nymph in intrigue, giving the nymph a small side-smile. “I am just admiring the flowers. Someone has to.” She sighed, asking herself what the benefit of life is if it just ends. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My lady, what do you mean by someone has to? I see all sorts of beings admiring the flowers. The mortal man brings them to his wife. The gods stare at their beauty reminded of what wonders they can create instead of destruction. And the animals thrive from the pollen and fragrance of the blossoms.” Anemone stared at the goddess in confusion, becoming much less shy and more floored that the child of life would say such a blasphemous thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore sat up and leaned towards the nymph, propping herself up on one arm. “That is the issue, Anemone! They only admire the beautiful, living flowers.” She did not notice how her voice raised slightly in her passion for the topic. “No one bats an eye over the rose whose buds never open, or the flower whose petals seem to be falling too soon, or even the flower that is slowly withering but still has some life to give. Nobody cares…” The goddess sighed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anemone began to wonder if this was about more than the flowers but decided to continue with the metaphor since she had only just met the goddess. Maybe one day she could be close enough to have a dearer conversation with Kore. For now, this would do. “Nobody may bat an eye at the flowers with less life but everything was planted with a purpose. When those plants die they will decompose in the soil and be nutrients to help the living plants thrive. No one may have noticed them but at least you remember the love and care you put into planting each one, my lady.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There it was again. That word that everyone was saying as if it were Kore’s way to heal her grief with death, </span>
  <em>
    <span>remember</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Was that what it really took to heal? It sounded like a way to rip off a freshly bandaged wound just to pack salt into it. Was remembering just for Kore though? The gods always have stories and worshippers to keep them in memory for their immortal lives. What do humans get for their mortal lives? A headstone? Maybe a handful of loved ones that will remember them for a century at most before they die too? Kore wanted to do something to memorialize these people for their calamity. “I never thought of it that way. Thank you, Anemone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are welcome, my lady.” The young nymph sat up to meet the goddess’ gaze and gave her a genuine smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please, just call me Kore.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, the child of life and her two favorite nymphs appeared at the opening to the copse bordering the village in a mist of rose-gold fog that shimmered around the three and dissipated slowly. Kore was surprised to see the glowing, colorful shadows of shades but was glad to see that their numbers seemed to have thinned out from their last visit. She wondered if the shades always stayed this colorful in the Underworld or if they lost their luster over time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria noticed the goddess staring into the village in deep concentration and raised her brow. The nymph made eye contact with Lyris and flashed her eyes between her and Kore to see if she was missing anything, however, Lyris shrugged in response, unsure of why the child was gazing into space. “Kore?” Oria touched the goddess’ shoulder. “Do you see something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore blinked and paused from her staring to look up at the tall nymph. “Oh, sorry, I was just surprised to see them still here…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lyris’ eyes widened like saucers and she touched Kore’s other shoulder, a little less gentle than Oria. “Who is still here Kore? Can you see something we are not seeing?” The nymph began to sound a little anxious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Could they not see the shades</span>
  </em>
  <span>? The young goddess thought to herself. When they were here last time, they said nothing about the shades as they worked. Kore assumed they just did not want to acknowledge the obvious. Now they only had eyes on her, not on the village. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They must not be able to</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Coming to that conclusion, Kore made a split-second decision. She looked back at the village and pretended to be searching with her eyes again, making a confused expression on her face. “Sorry, my eyes must still be tired. I must have seen something that was not there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria glared skeptically at Kore, but Lyris made a loud sigh of relief and began to grab Oria by the arm and tow her towards the side of the village where the graveyard was. “Whew, good. Let’s get this done before it gets too dark now.” The nymph's lyrical voice chimed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It must have rained in this part of the woods overnight because the smell of petrichor permeated and Kore’s skin felt hydrated just by walking through the thick, humid air. More bugs and rodents that tended to roam and it was much easier for Kore to cover herself in mud in these conditions, but she loved how much life she felt when Gaia was like this. The large amount of water present in the soil made the potential for plant growth that much greater. Giving the goddess more freedom to do as she pleased with the land. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she approached the graves of the various villagers she never knew, she could already feel what Anemone meant when she said that death and decay created nutrients for the living. The soles of Kore’s bare feet pressed into the grass and soil and felt how dense the nutrients were directly under where the bodies were buried. She understood that this was the cycle of life. Death was needed to make life possible. It was a trade-off. Just like love and heartbreak. Although it was a necessary sacrifice, it did not mean the goddess could not still mourn the dead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria and Lyris stood a few feet behind their friend in silence while she walked and acknowledged each of the burial mounds. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, the goddess stopped in front of the blossom tree her friends were buried around and fell to her knees, resting her forehead on the bark. “I wish we could have had more time together you guys… I wish I could have seen you all grow up to become something… not forever thirteen…” She paused and closed her eyes to think. Part of her wished she could have been a better poet or speaker now. At least something that could have conveyed better words of her emotions. All she had to her name was the Spring…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore sat straighter on her knees and held her hands out in front of her making a cup shape. Her big, doe eyes began to glow white and her long, wavy, pink hair began to flutter in the slow breeze that spun around the deity’s petite frame. There was a faint pastel pink light that emanated from her hands in the shape of a perfect orb. The mystic breeze caused white blossoms to fall from the tree and circle the goddess’ wind tunnel. Her nymphs looked in awe as white blossoms fell into their hair and over their surroundings. Slowly, the light in the goddess’ eyes disappeared and her magenta irises returned and the wind began to cease, leaving all three with a wildly thick, wind-blown mane full of blossoms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria and Lyris peered over Kore’s shoulder to see what was in her hands to find a cluster of small, light blue flowers with a yellow center.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>They were a very simple, dainty set of blossoms</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Oria observed. “They are lovely, Kore.” Lyris smiled down at the goddess and rested a hand on one of her magenta shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am going to call them forget-me-nots. This is going to be my promise to my friends and to the villagers. I will always remember them…” She paused. “They might not be memorialized in a tale or a constellation… but this flower will be to keep their memory alive. Mortals everywhere will use these to mourn their loved ones and promise to keep them in their memories.” She placed the flower at the base of the tree before standing up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What a brilliant idea, Kore.” Lyris gave the child a side hug once she stood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just one last thing.” Kore gave her friend a weak smile before stepping away from the nymph’s side. She walked to the center of the graveyard so she could see all of the burial mounds that they had stayed up all night to make. There was a moment of silence where Kore was unsure if she was really able to pull this level of magic off yet. However, she had seen her mother do something similar with seeds of grain and felt this was the time and place to try. With a deep breath, she raised her arms over her head and imagined what it would look like if forget-me-nots began to fall from the sky. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, they are falling from the sky</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she told herself. Then she quickly dropped her arms so they swung down to her sides. In just the blink of an eye, something brushed her face and she opened her eyes to individual blossoms, small clusters, and the blue petals of forget-me-nots falling from the sky strictly over the bounds of the village. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy Hera..”, “Mother of Gaia…” Oria and Lyris said respectively at the same time in disbelief. Their eyes scanned their surroundings in astonishment, drinking in the sight of the blossoms and petals covering the grass and surface of the lake water in hints of blue. There was a sweet tinge of floral fragrance that was overtaking the scent of petrichor, now that the flowers were covering over the grass. As the blossoms and petals rode the waves of the lake water’s surface, they slowly began to sink one by one into the crystal-clear depths. Deeper and deeper they went, eventually, the sun’s rays were not able to reach the depths of where they sunk to and the blue blossoms fell into an abyss of black…</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“Japanese was a great idea for lunch today.” Hecate grinned up at the King of the Underworld before grabbing another piece of the spicy tuna roll and popping it in her mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hades returned from the beverage station at the other end of his office and placed the freshly brewed kettle of green tea on an open hot pad on the coffee table between the two couches. “I am glad you agree, I was hungry for some eel sauce and shrimp tempura.” The god chuckled while pouring green tea into both his and Hecate’s mugs. “So, what did you want to discuss?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Thanatos refuses to approach you about this. He complains there have been too many mass casualties lately for him to keep up.” Hecate began while stirring her tea, hoping to speed the cooling process. “I did not believe him until I saw how overwhelmed Charon was on Acheron the other day. I allowed a day of free passage on the ferry.” The goddess said bluntly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait- you granted a day of free passage on the ferry?!” Hades contorted his face. Making it difficult to read if he was angry, frustrated, or annoyed. “There are ancient rules in place, Hecate. I have been struggling to break that rule for centuries and still have not.” The god growled and bit into one of the volcano rolls, feeling the heat of the spices clearing his sinuses. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hecate nodded in agreement. “I know old friend. I made the call since Charon had a riot on his hands. We don’t even know what the old man does with all of those coins.” The cerulean goddess rolled her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking a drag of his cigar the king of the dead made a long exhale. “Fine.” He clipped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Hecate looked at him to elaborate, finally able to enjoy her long-awaited tea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will see about contracting Hermes to help Thanatos temporarily. Next time run any free rides on the ferry by me first, just so I know if I should be expecting a call from Nyx or Erebus about their old kingdom. They might throw a fit.” Hades grabbed a black dragon roll with his chopsticks and popped it in his mouth. Then he grabbed his mug of tea, stood up, and walked over to the wall of glass behind his desk to see the panoramic scape of his kingdom. There were several minutes of silence until Hades finally opened his mouth again, “Uh, Hecate… When has the Underworld ever rained blue flowers?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The goddess of magic did not look up from her phone, reading her emails while eating another piece of the spicy tuna roll. “Never? What kind of question is that Hades?” The goddess chuckled to herself as she moved onto the next email. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because it is happening right now…” Hades said in annoyed utterance at the witch causing Hecate to look straight up from her phone at the view from the massive window.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hecate walked over to the window and stood beside the god and stared in awe at the falling blue blossoms and petals. She knew exactly who could cause flowers to rain in the Underworld and was sure it was being done unintentionally from the mortal realm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This must be her way of apologizing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she thought. “I guess not everyone can get a eulogy,” Hecate muttered to herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The god of the dead turned his head to his friend in confusion, staring at her while the azure goddess sipped her tea and stared at the blossoms with her yellow eyes. “What are you talking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing important. Let’s get back to business or at least lunch. Sushi does not make for good leftovers.” Hecate ushered the god back to the couches and sat him down across from her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But-but what about the flowers?” Hades asked, scrunching his eyebrows with a look of perplexity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hecate shook her head and made a dismissal motion with her hand. “Relax, flowers are harmless. Let’s talk about what we should offer Hermes…”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Granting a full 24 hours of free passage made Charon’s job transporting shades much quicker and gave the deity a few hours of downtime to net the flowers out of the river Styx. The god coasted the current of the toxic waters in his ferry with a large, thin-meshed net in hand, taking care to scoop every single petal in sight into a trash bin waiting in his boat. He eventually decided to make the time pass just like how he does when he is transporting small groups of shades. Frequently, he would have the shades sing a song while he rowed to soothe the rest of the group. Many of the songs were sad and sometimes ominous, but his mother was the goddess of the night. The ancient deity had been raised to always find the beautiful in the dreadful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Starting to hum the rhythm of ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Water is Wide’, </span>
  </em>
  <span>which was a ballad that chanted of a man’s heartbreak when he and his love tried to row a boat together. The man’s love did not survive the boat ride, purposefully drowning herself when he proposed. Charon never forgot how the female shade who sung the song was able to raise her voice to such a high soprano. He hoped the shade still remembers to sing that beautifully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still lost in his thoughts, he almost did not notice how the once white and yellow petals were now suddenly multiplying and becoming blue. He lifted his hood away from his head in confusion and felt something light tap his head and fall to the wooden floor of his ferry. Behind him was a flower that appeared as a cluster of blue blossoms with a yellow, star-shaped center. The ferryman let out a long, faint grunt of confusion. As soon as he started to hear splashes in the water, his head shot up from the floor and scanned the surrounding waters to see blue flowers falling from the sky and falling into the waters of the river and the beaches of Acheron. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes went straight to the net in his hands and the almost-full trash can beside him, he felt his heart sink into his stomach. All of his hard work was now barely a minuscule dent of what he would have to do to appease Hecate and Styx. There was a heat of anger that built up in his chest. He let out another loud noise that was a cross between a shriek and a grunt, sounding similar to what a pregnant woman having a natural birth would make and threw the cleaning net like a spear across the water to the opposite shore of Acheron. Many nymphs and daemons scattered in horror, dodging the net as it speared handle-end into the ground. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I am taking a nap</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Charon internally told himself and he laid down on the floor of his ferry next to his ore and put his hood over his head so it covered his face from the little light present, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I have earned this…</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Painting the Flowers Red</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The dread queen makes a brief appearance.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi all. Another section to share! I should remind you all... I am a nurse/ medical student who loves horror films. I tried to tone down how graphic the violence in this chapter is... (by that I mean my 13-year-old sister read it and did not cry)... so reader's discretion is advised. If it gets to be too much, there will be a summarized version of it in the next chapter that is much, much less graphic.<br/>As always, happy reading and stay healthy!<br/>&lt;3 Vendetta</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Demeter arrived home just at the break of dawn on the third day of being away from the estate. The emerald goddess greeted the few nymphs that were awake to keep watch of the gardens and entered the home. Everything was still in its place and there was not a single speck of dirt anywhere. She felt some pride in seeing her daughter be so responsible to keep the house clean while she was gone. Carefully walking up the steps of the stairs to not make any noise, Demeter peeked into Kore’s bedroom, which was the bedroom immediately at the top of the stairs. Her heart melted seeing her little Kore-cob sleeping peacefully in her bed with a botany book in her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The goddess of the harvest decided to drop her suitcases off in her room and take some time to unpack before making her daughter breakfast since it was still so early. She had already decided to make Kore’s favorite breakfast, French toast with berries, strawberry jam, and whipped cream, and had the nymphs gathering the fruit. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Youthful goddess, help me to grow grapes for winemaking… I do not know if I can grow these without my sons…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> The distant voice of an older woman urged into Kore’s ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still tired from her late night of reading, Kore ignored the unfamiliar voice and flipped over onto her other side and curled her pillow so it covered her exposed ear. The several moments of quiet were starting to let her drift back off into a slumber until she heard another stranger’s voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Fair Kore, my wife loves the flowers you bring to Gaia. It is one of the few things that I can give her to make her smile and I thank you for such a gift.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>A male voice spoke softly to Kore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused as to why the voice she heard was not even muffled by the pillow, Kore gave up on trying to get more sleep and her eyelashes fluttered open. While sitting up in her bed, she turned her head to scan her room for the strange voice but was even more perplexed when she found no one there with her. She crawled out of bed and straightened her gown and placed her botany book back on the shelf before leaving her room. Walking down the stairs, her brows were scrunched together in confusion and colorful columbines grew in the Spring goddess’ hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything alright darling Kore-cob? Columbines mean folly…” A familiar voice spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore lifted her head quickly from the ground and stared at the tall verdant, violet-haired goddess cooking something on the stove in the kitchen. “Mama, you are home…” The young goddess smiled and walked over to hug her mom, inhaling the nostalgic aroma of her mother’s French toast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I am dear, I told you three days.” Demeter paused from her cooking to look back at her daughter. “Now what is wrong? You may have a poker face, but your hair does not.” She made a small chuckle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, stupid hair,” Kore muttered to herself in annoyance, blowing small strands of baby hairs from her face. “I don’t feel foolish… just confused.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you confused.” Her mother turned back to the pan to continue flipping the pieces of toast, periodically taking small nibbles for herself as a good chef. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I woke up to these voices and when I searched my room for them… nobody was there…” Kore grabbed a strawberry from the bowl of washed and cut fruit and bit into it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Demeter’s eyes flashed violet and she paused from her work to look at her daughter’s magenta eyes. “What were they saying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore gave a shrug of indifference and waited till she swallowed her fruit to speak. “One asked me to help with growing their grapes… another just thanked me for making beautiful flowers…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a tight feeling in Demeter’s chest. It was not painful, hardly noticeable really, but the mother knew her anxiety was starting to grow. Soon her daughter would not need her. Her daughter was beginning to grow up and become her own goddess. “Kore, honey, you are hearing the prayers mortals are making to you.” She gave her daughter a small smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You are growing into your own place as a goddess.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore looked at her mom with her eyes wide and her mouth making a small ‘O’ shape in realization. “Well… how do you get any sleep with these whispers in your head mom?” She looked at her mom anxiously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Demeter chuckled while plating a few pieces of French toast and handing the plate to Kore. “We will work on that. Don’t worry.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Kore began to carry a planner with her that contained the requests made by the mortals that prayed to her and a list of things she needed to consider doing for Spring. Some of the things on the list were reoccurring such as rounding the lands and healing vegetation, helping stubborn flower buds bloom, and adding lily pads to bodies of water. Others are less frequent like checking on the health of bees or replenishing the more rapidly spreading florals. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, there was one thing in her planner she did once every week. She would return to the graves of her friends and the wasted villagers for an hour. Oria, Lyris, or both, would accompany her each time and join in paying their respects with the goddess. Then the goddess would use her magic to conjure a shower of forget-me-nots from the sky over the village. Eventually, it became a part of the mourning process to make flower angels in the ground or to take time to braid flowers into each other’s hair. This did not bother Kore, on the contrary, she felt it turned the ritual from a funeral service into a celebration of life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unbeknownst to Kore, each time she made the village pour the blue flowers from the sky, she made the area impacted by the falling florals increase in circumference. By the sixth week, the shower of blue blossoms reached close to the front doorstep of her home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Demeter sat on the front porch with Lyris and three other nymphs, who were working to either weave threads into white fabrics or wash existing white clothes of the residents of the estate. The five stopped their work when they heard the sound of things lightly ‘thudding’ onto the grass as if it were the softest type of hail ever made.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The goddess of agriculture stared dumbfounded at the sight of blue flowers, she had never seen before, falling from the heavens onto the ground. She looked over at one of the nymphs Kore was close to and made eye contact with the girl. “Lyris, is this my daughter’s doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are called forget-me-nots, my lady,” Lyris said staring at the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And my Kore made these?” Demeter inquired, walking over to the edge of the porch to pick up a blossom and study the simple, blue petals with a bright, yellow center. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. To symbolize love in memories, my lady.” The nymph nodded, still looking down at the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can relax Lyris, no one is in trouble here.” Demeter waved her hand at the nymph to signal for her to sit up straight. “How long has my child been able to make flowers fall from the sky?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Less than two months I believe.” Lyris shrugged while timidly resuming her fabric weaving. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That tight feeling around Demeter’s heart returned again much stronger this time. Instinctively her hand fisted at her sternum and she took in a long inhale. This was the part of parenthood every mother struggled with, the part where the baby bird begins to fly and eat on their own, leaving little purpose for the mama bird. She was proud to see that her daughter was becoming powerful enough to make flowers pour from the clouds and that she is taking her role as a goddess seriously. Demeter just feared the empty nest that she might soon have a few years from now. For now, she would celebrate her child and allow her to grow. Demeter would cross the issue of an empty nest when her nest was actually empty. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>A week later, Kore awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the rays of the sun in her eyes. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, feeling the crustiness of Hypnos’ spell falling off of her lashes. Then sat up at the edge of the bed and waited for the black and white static in her vision from vigorously rubbing her eyes to subside before moving to the bathroom. She was thankful that whatever she dreamt of last night did not make her hair grow longer than her shoulders and that her sheets were not covered in a mess of blossoms. The goddess quickly inspected the skin on her face before washing her face, brushing her teeth, and finger combing her hair so the wavy curls present did not loosen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once satisfied with her appearance, she made her way to her reading nook that rested within the large bay window on the far side of her room. The goddess’ planner rested on the center of the ledge, where Kore had left it last night, her favorite ivory, ballpoint pen still bookmarking her place inside the book. She picked up the blush-colored agenda and opened it to today's page. There already was a routine that the young goddess of Spring had and she could likely guess what was on her to-do list for the day, but she still had some of her mother’s perfectionist traits inside of her and she was starting to think that might not be such a bad thing after what happened in Savoca. Today, she had to survey the lands for any dangerous plants, take inventory of the bee population, and replenish the forget-me-nots on the villager’s graves. It would not be a bad day for the goddess, just time consuming with the first two tasks. More than likely, Oria and Lyris had already determined whom of which was joining her for the day and was waiting for her outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore looked out the window for her friends or any familiar peach doves but instead, all she saw were the glowing essences of shades wandering the fields and patches of trees. They looked lost and terrified. She let out a loud sigh, wondering to herself if this was a new power of hers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What am I supposed to be doing with them? </span>
  </em>
  <span>It at least seemed that they respected her enough not to enter her home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oria and Lyris met Kore in the kitchen, where the goddess was eating a granola bar and an orange. All three were dressed in the estate’s trademark plain, white chitons, and cloaks with gold clasps. However, the nymphs both had their hair up in French braids with various wildflowers tucked in throughout while Kore kept her hair down and wavy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both of you are coming with today?” A wide smile spread across Kore’s face, her dark magenta lips brightening her white teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Demeter has no chores for us specifically today.” Oria nodded with a grin spreading across her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We also wanted to see our Kore’s beautiful forget-me-nots.” Lyris chimed while clasping her hands together in front of her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see you two have memorized my routine also.” Kore chuckled, swallowing the last bite of her granola bar. “I also have to survey for poisonous plants and take inventory of the bees, but that will go much quicker with two extra pairs of eyes.” The goddess looked up at her friends with a pleading face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oria made of face pretending like Kore was asking her for a kidney, “I don’t know… that is a lot to be asking of some nymphs Kore.” The nymph said playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore’s eyes got bigger and her lip pout grew. Creating her irresistible puppy-dog face that got her friends to do things for her so many times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, do not use that face Kore!” Lyris moaned, already feeling the effects of the cute face impacting her discretion. “Oria, cover your eyes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was too late. Before Lyris even ordered Oria to shield her eyes, Oria was already nodding to the little goddess and thirty minutes later they were getting ready to set off for their tasks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Assessing the population of bees and the presence of poisonous plants would both be more labor-intensive tasks, whereas the shower of forget-me-nots used entirely magic. Kore did not want the first two tasks to interfere with her ability to keep her promise to the villagers by making her too tired to cast the spell. Therefore, the three teleported straight to the tree line of the woods outside of Savoca’s borders, as they had done several times before, in Kore’s signature fog of rose-toned mist with golden glitters that left roses on the ground as it dissipated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> As soon as the cloud of rose-gold magic faded, Kore noticed that none of the shades that she normally saw were in the village but in the open fields surrounding where the graveyard would be. Normally, they would walk around the paths of the village or in the fields aimlessly with a lost look in their eyes, but today they were all crowded in the graveyard. The spirits wept and moaned, almost as if they were experiencing another heartbreaking loss. It broke the goddess’ heart. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I did this to them, this is my fault</span>
  </em>
  <span>, was all the voice in the back of her mind was saying on repeat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kore do you see what those men are doing there? It is not safe for us… let's come back later.” Lyris whispered to Kore over her right shoulder, placing her hand on the goddess’ shoulder to try to pull her away from the scene. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lyris’ words pulled her from her staring at the congregation of shades. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Men?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kore was puzzled for a moment. There must have been so many souls surrounding the cemetery that she could not see the men that Lyris was speaking of. Whoever these men were, they had the shades in agony. “Lyr, I need to see what exactly is happening there…” Kore whispered back to her friend and moved Lyris’ hand off of her shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Lyris and Oria could pull Kore back to them, the goddess ran as fast as she could, staying close between the border of the village and along the tree line of the forest. She was small and young enough that she could outrun her friends. She was not leaving here until she was able to see what was happening to the spirits to make them so restless. Behind her, she could hear her friends whispering for her to come back as loudly as they could. There was a feeling in her gut that whatever they saw gave them the right to tell her to turn around now but she was too emotionally invested now to listen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was first a foul odor that Kore noticed as she got closer. Her stomach felt like it dropped out from under her partly due to nausea the smell caused but also partly because she recognized the smell. That distinct smell of decaying human flesh. However, this time it was mixed with the smell of chemicals, comparable to what mortals would often use to clean their homes. Kore did not even have time to process what she was seeing before she fell to her knees within view of the scene. The tree line was still directly behind her, so she used her arm to lean on the trunk of an oak tree for support. Almost all of the graves were dug up, some men were scrubbing the blood and flesh off of the bones in the lake while others laid the cleaned bones out to dry, appearing to be organized by what body they came from and wherein the body the bone belonged. The lake was taking on a reddish, brown color rather than its normal clear color near the shoreline and small hunks of flesh floated on the surface, following the waves further into the lake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe none of these bodies had any money on them.” One of them growled, stabbing his shovel into the ground as hard as he could in frustration. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, we will still get paid handsomely for the skeletons we bring back to Athens.” Another replied, rolling their eyes at their mate’s overdramatic sense of rage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something cold falling down Kore’s cheek. She raised her hand to wipe it only to see that she was tearing up from what she was seeing. The tears kept dripping down her face and were beginning to wet the collar of her cloak. When she stood up her eyes met that of some of the shades who were witnessing their graves being robbed for their bones. They looked at Kore with pleading eyes. Kore’s gaze then looked through the transparent forms of those shades where she could see the blossom tree. Her tears were gone but there was now a firing rage in her chest. They had dug up all of the graves surrounding the tree. Then all she saw was red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time Oria and Lyris reached Kore, there was something off. The nymphs had phased into doves to draw less attention to themselves and sat on low branches beside the child. The young goddess’ eyes were completely bloodshot and she levitated three inches from the ground. Lyris gestured with her eyes to Oria to note that Kore’s nails had formed into sharp claws and Oria’s eyes widened in surprise. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Should we get Demeter?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lyris mouthed to Oria.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just wait a minute</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Oria mouthed back. “Kore… Kore… you alright?” Oria whispered to the goddess with concern in her voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore heard Oria’s voice but at the same time, she saw one of the mortal men stepping on the blue forget-me-nots left underneath the blossom tree. A black crown of thorns tangled with crimson roses, rhododendrons, and tansies sprouted in her hair, and the rage that she felt building in her chest was now choking in her throat. She wanted to scream. She felt one of her two nymphs try to touch her shoulder. She shook them off and ran to the men. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were at least fifteen of them. The majority of them turned to look at Kore when they heard her footsteps pounding in their direction. They looked like typical mortal, working-class Greeks, olive-skinned, dark hair and eyes, lean musculature, in their early twenties, and all wearing some sort of chiton. Except their chitons had dirt and blood on them. The blood of her friends. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop what you are doing. You are disrupting dead people’s rest!” Kore yelled. She stood at least three arms lengths away from the men but her rage was palpable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The men stared down at the child and were quiet for a few seconds before laughing. Some of them were kneeling to the ground like it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. However, Kore’s rage never faltered and she continued to hold her ground and scowl at the men, waiting for a reply. One of the men closest to her spoke, “Go home little girl, the dead are dead. Now they can help the living survive by helping us make a little money. Go find your mommy or something.” He tried to gesture her away with a shooing motion before resuming his task of digging up the graves. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Little girl? </span>
  </em>
  <span>The goddess fumed. The glamour that hid her fuchsia skin-tone melted off of her body and Kore felt the heavy shaft of her scythe conjure into her right hand. “Do I look like a child to you now!” She yelled while swinging her scythe at the man, severing his head from his shoulders in one clean cut. The blood pumping from the mortal’s carotid arteries sprayed out of the man’s freshly sliced neck violently, covering the goddess’ face and white garments in blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go get Demeter, now!” Lyris hissed to Oria, her eyes were as horrified as Oria had ever seen them, both were still hiding in the tree line. Oria only nodded and flew back towards the estate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The remaining bone thieves witnessed the act of wrath, their eyes wide and knees shaking from the trauma, quickly dispersing once the goddess’ attention was now onto them. Making attempts to run towards the woods or into the lake to hide from the goddess’ sight. Kore continued swinging at some of the men who she came into reach with, slicing their bodies into two with the scythe but realized she would lose many of these criminals if she did not act fast. She held her scythe in one hand and with the other concentrated on the bones and flesh surrounding her. The bloody sludge and pieces of flesh from the water gravitated out of the lake and towards the shoreline where the cleaned bones rested. Both combined, remolding to their original places like clay until all was back in its place and every disturbed body was reassembled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Avenge yourselves,” Kore whispered and gestured to the men running away all around them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The eyes of the remade dead bodies glowed white. Many of their joints contorted into strange positions to get them from their awkward positions from laying down, freshly reassembled, to standing, but once on their two feet, their speed and reaction time was comparable to Hermes. Running with their legs in wide strides and their arms swinging in unpredictable directions in front of them. As if their joints had no limitations. Some chose to avenge themselves by breaking the necks of their offender, leaving their bodies with their heads backward and blood pooling from their mouth. Others ate out the men’s vital organs, tearing out their insides until the mortal passed out from watching himself being dissected alive or from the blood loss. Kore watched with a satisfied smirk on her face as one bit into the trachea of one man and watched him die from not being able to use his lungs, just as they did. The metallic smell of fresh blood was now covering the rancid smell of rotten flesh and chemicals to the goddess’ satisfactory. The lake was a brilliant crimson from the undead that swam to find the men hiding in the brown-colored waters and the blood that dripped from the grassy fields into the waters that met with the shoreline. There were two or three men that did still escape their punishment but Kore decided that they would serve to spread the word of the goddess who would punish this behavior. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bring the last two to me,” Kore ordered once she noticed there were only two men still alive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dragged by their jaw length, dark hairs, the two men were hauled from the border back across the field to the magenta goddess with the crown of thorns and flowers in her hair. Kore levitated more than a foot in the air when the men were thrown at her feet, they shook in fear when they saw the goddess whose eyes matched the blood on her face, chiton, and scythe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “It is more than revolting when mortals are stealing from other mortals.” She spat. “It sickens me and angers the other gods.” Her arms raised up above her, a light collected in her hands in a pink luminescence and was being drawn away from the sun, causing the sky to dim. The surrounding plant life withered and browned or turned to ash. The amount of water in the lake shrank slightly. The men trembling before her seemed to age rapidly, their eyes beginning to cloud over with death and their skin wrinkling and losing color. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“P-please… Persephone…” One of them croaked through a dry mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is far too late for that. May Hades have mercy on your soul.” She growled, her crimson eyes luminating more with anger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore kept draining the life from the men, watching them turn more and more cadaverous with each second. Bones and muscles she never knew existed becoming more pronounced and their hair seeming to grow several inches. Their bodies were becoming so dry they were beginning to cough and cry blood because every pull of the skin caused a tear of the integument. She watched with a fulfilled smile as their bodies dropped to the ground and their heads collided together making a sickening crack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking around at her surroundings to fully admire her work, she only felt the sting of tears in her eyes and a hard lump in her throat making it hard for her to breathe. There were no shades anywhere to be seen. Only the undead roamed the fields around the graveyard aimlessly, groaning in pain. The bodies and souls had been too dead for too long to be reunited. It was agonizing for the souls to feel their bodies decaying as they were caged in them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I did this to them. I hurt them again.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kore’s thoughts whimpered in her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kore! What have you done!” The familiar voice of Kore’s mother yelled to her in the distance. She was not surprised her friends got her mother. She would have been shocked if they did not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something heavy in her right hand. She dropped it and heard a loud ‘thud’ hitting the grass. Surprised, she looked down to see the scythe she used for harvesting wheat on the ground by her right foot covered in blood. Lifting her arms to her face she could see that her hands were also covered in blood along with her clothes. “Oh, my gods…” Her voice shook in horror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Demeter marched up until she stood directly in front of her daughter who appeared to be in shock. Her daughter’s hands were shaking in front of her face and her eyes were looking straight off into space. Kore showed no sign of acknowledging that she knew her mother was standing in front of her. Demeter grabbed her daughter by both of her shoulders and shook her vigorously. “Kore! Snap out of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The small goddess fell to her knees but pulled out of her trance. Looking past her mother’s gown to the wandering dead. She quickly pulled herself up and moved away from her mother towards them. Demeter turned to look at her daughter, confused and unsure how to react. Placing one fist on her chest, Kore imagined she had her hand wrapped around their hearts holding tightly as she yanked her hand away from her chest. As if ripping the soul from the body. In unison, the ear-piercing of many, ghastly shrieks can only be heard by Kore as the bond between the body and soul is broken. The sound forces Kore to fall to her knees again and she can feel the excess of magic she used catching up to her as exhaust begins to overcome her. There are several loud ‘thud’ sounds from bodies falling to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kore!” Demeter, Oria, and Lyris all yell in unison, running towards the goddess as she lays on the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kore takes one more look, seeing all of the shades staring at her through her shaky, blurred vision. Her eyelids are beginning to droop, gaining weight by the second. “I am sorry, sorry, please, please- don’t be afraid… you can rest now…” She whispered before her vision turned black.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Different Sides of the Cage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When one girl is locked in a cage, another is set free... but will it be for the better?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey! This will be the third and last chapter posted for 8/5/2020.  I hope to have something else posted on Monday or Tuesday if work this weekend is not that crazy. Stay safe, healthy, wear your mask, practice social distancing, and enjoy reading fanfics.<br/>Have a wonderful weekend!<br/>&lt;3 Vendetta</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Long trips were not something Hermes was opposed to as one of the new, temporary death gods. The overtime pay was great and from the look of the order given, it was going to be a massive amount of shades. Which would make him look good to the bosses for a more permanent position if he decided he liked it at Underworld Corporation. He was somewhere to the Northwest of Sicily not too far from Greece. There was supposed to be a large group of shades in a village surrounded by woods and a lake that Thanatos had been (*cough* extremely *cough*) slowly working on collecting souls from. However, Hermes’ summons indicated that there were also a series of recent deaths that also needed attention. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he approached the village’s clearing, he could see the lake had an unusual burgundy color, that men were running away from other men and women who seemed to be running at a god-like speed, and there were many corpses. A familiar petite, pink goddess wielding a scythe stood in the middle of it all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kore</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Hermes thought to himself in confusion. She was the sweetest goddess he had ever met. The last person he could ever expect to be capable of this. Then he saw her drain all the life from the sun, the grass, the lake, and the two men that begged for their life before her. Chills were crawling up his spine as he felt the temperature drop from the sun weakening, he had never seen a god capable of such a power. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demeter soon came into view and tried to bring sense to her daughter. That only seemed to bring her back to reality long enough to pull the souls out of what Hermes now realized were revived corpses and blackout. The god was even more awestruck watching the young goddess effortlessly sever the bond between body and soul from more than forty shades at least. A job that would have taken him or Thanatos hours to do. Demeter and two nymphs surrounded the goddess to make sure she was alright. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I guess that is my cue</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Hermes sighed to himself. He was now regretting this job as soon as he saw Demeter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Landing on the grass several paces away from the four women, Hermes scanned the area to look over the situation. There had to have been at least forty shades who had been here for over a month and several others who had been fresh corpses judging by the bodies he was looking at. As he continued to roam the fields and study the bodies of the deceased, he noted all of the shovels and tools used for cleaning flesh off of the bone. The red market was a lucrative field the god of thieves was all too familiar with. His job at Underworld Corporation and the opening of medical schools in Athens had only made him see many more cases of grave robbing since he had been assigned the domain. He started to have an idea of what angered the sweet goddess of Spring. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hermes! What in the name of Gaia are you doing here!” Demeter shrieked so loud it made the vermillion god jump. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Her screams could have been confused for an angry harpy</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let out a loud exhale to compose himself as he walked closer to the group, standing square to Demeter. “Hello to you too, Demeter. I am here to collect the souls of the dead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her face contorted slightly in disgust. “You work for Hades?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes ma’am.” Hermes nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The violet orbs of the goddess of the harvest stared at the messenger god for several seconds before she finally nodded and gestured for him to get to work. “I will have my nymphs take care of the burial of these mortals. Come speak to me before you return to Hades.” The way she spoke sounded more as an order than a request, making Hermes more anxious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, ma’am.” He nervously gulped while drawing the souls from the corpses of the recently deceased with his caduceus. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘A child that is born, rather than created will come with dire consequences…’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>The warning that Atropos had given Demeter over a decade ago was now echoing in her ears and no matter how much she wanted it to, she could not get her admonishing to stop replaying. Demeter’s violet gaze rested on her daughter as she picked her up from the grass and beamed away with her child in her arms and the two nymphs beside them. They reappeared on the porch of the estate in a puff of emerald smoke that smelt like barley. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While walking off of the porch with her daughter still asleep in her arms, Demeter turned her head to Oria who was at her left side. “Go collect the other available nymphs and have them aid you in burying the dead.” She ordered her face and voice void of any emotion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ye-yes, my lady.” Oria stuttered, bowing her head. Her eyes met with Lyris’ and they both exchanged a nervous glance towards Kore as if to say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘what is Demeter going to do with her?’</span>
  </em>
  <span>, before walking the opposite direction to the nymphs’ living quarters. Lyris still continued to follow behind Demeter and Kore like a silent shadow, terrified that either her or Kore might be in trouble with Demeter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           The events that led up to this moment continued to replay in Demeter’s head as they approached their destination. Her daughter had raised the dead then drew the living essence out of two mortal men after dismembering several others with a scythe. Kore’s powers had not only advanced too rapidly, but they were also encroaching into Hades’ territory. A chill went down Demeter’s spine recalling what happened to Asclepius when he attempted doing something similar to the god of the dead. Demeter would be damned to Tartarus if she were to let her daughter be mauled by Cerberus. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should have known something was wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Demeter mentally kicked herself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course, those forget-me-nots were made to mourn death. My daughter has some sick fascination with death…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Their destination was a large, intricately built greenhouse located to the South of the estate, hidden by the house and patches of trees. It was designed for punishing Kore when she was younger and her powers were more sporadic. Now it would serve a much more different purpose. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “My lady, we do not need to resort to this,” Lyris called to Demeter from several feet away, her voice and body shaking from fear. It was almost unheard of any nymph speaking up against the goddess. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           The mother paused to consider for a moment the nymph’s words but she could not get the images of Kore sucking the life from two mortals from her mind. When Demeter looked down at her daughter, she saw her daughter still had blood smeared across her face and splattered on her clothes. Atropos’ words spoke to Demeter again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘A child that is born, rather than created will come with dire consequences…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She let out a loud sigh and unlocked the greenhouse, placing Kore on the ground in the middle of the structure. “It is for the best Lyris. Go help her clean up then find me to lock the room.” Her eyes never left her daughter as she spoke with one tear dripping down her cheek.</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>           A smog of emerald mist grew in size in the center of Savoca’s cemetery causing Hermes and several of the nymphs to shift their gaze from their work to the display. The fog of green thickened and elongated in height, shaping itself into the form of a woman. It was not hard for Hermes to guess who it was when the smell of barley and wheatgrass hit his nostrils. Demeter’s form became clearer, he could see her violet hair and eyes peering at him through the thick veil of forest green mist she conjured. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stepped out of her cloud covering causing the smog to fade away and scanned the surroundings with a stern look in her eyes. “Get back to work.” She spat coldly to her nymphs, making many of them flinch and scatter back into doing their task of reburying the dead. Her eyes met with Hermes’ red ones and the god felt the adrenaline from his fight or flight response kick in as the goddess of the harvest marched towards him. “Hermes.” She said in a less cold, but still stern voice. “How is damage control?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We-well, having all of your nymphs makes burial much, much quicker…” He trailed off, hoping she would not ask about the souls. Maybe if he avoided eye contact and kept his distance, she would not read into his thoughts and leave him alone, his survival instincts told himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And have you collected all of the souls, Hermes?” Demeter inquired, raising her eyebrow at him skeptically and folding her arms, further intimidating the vermillion god. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is more complicated…” The god trailed off again, really hoping he could leave his explanation at that and keep Kore out of any further trouble with her mother. There was also the possibility that Demeter might become enraged with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Explain Hermes.” The verdant goddess hissed impatiently. Her eyes were now shifting from violet to a glowing lavender in her anger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The god gestured to the two corpses of the men whose lives were drawn out by the young goddess of Spring. Both still laid beside each other with their foreheads touching from when their skulls collided. Demeter noted how their skin already had the leathery appearance seen from mummification. The skirt of the goddess’ gown unintentionally brushed one of the corpse’s shoulders and the two deities were surprised to see a piece of the shoulder break off and turn to dust, leaving some of the ash on Demeter’s white skirt. “It seems Kore did not drain energy from these two but consumed their souls…” He paused to let Demeter process what he had just told her. His eyes studied Demeter’s face for any indication of understanding, but she only stared at the two stiff bodies the nymphs were now dragging away to be buried with a destroyed expression on her face. The god opened his mouth to continue, “I have two bodies but no souls to account for them, Demeter…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Those words caused Demeter’s expression to shift drastically. She went from somber to resuming her stern, overbearing demeanor, surprising the red god. “You love my Kore, don’t you? I have seen the way you look at her when you drop letters off to us. You would do anything for her wouldn’t you?” She inched toward Hermes, making Hermes nervously step away until she realized she was not going to get any closer to him and stopped her advances. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you saying?” His eyes searched around them for anybody but the only other people there were Demeter’s flower nymphs. Who had now buried all the dead and were now just placing elaborate floral arrangements over all of the graves.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demeter noticed too that their cleanup of the area was near complete and her lips curled slightly, “How about we discuss this privately?”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Hermes was not the tallest god but he was by no means short. Standing at 6’2” he rarely ever felt small but right now, sitting in the leather seat across from Demeter in her large office, he purposefully shrunk himself down as much as he could. Secretly hoping if he could get small enough, he might actually disappear from her sight and not have to have this conversation. Demeter was being unnervingly kind since they arrived in her home. She gave him a plate of two warm cookies and a cup of freshly brewed oolong tea while using the sweetest voice she could muster. It reminded him of a witch trying to fatten up children before eating them or a vampire gaining your trust before sinking its fangs into your neck. It took all of his concentration to hide the tremors in his hand as he held his teacup to take a sip. How the sweetest goddess and the most conniving goddess in the pantheon were related would always be one of the world’s unsolved mysteries to Hermes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After pouring the tea and distributing the cookies, Demeter took her seat in her chocolate brown, leather desk chair across from Hermes. She crossed her legs, intertwined her fingers, and rested them on her lap. “Now Hermes, what you saw today cannot be spoken of ever again to anyone else.” Her voice and eyes both showed a tone of authority. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bu-but… Ho-how… What about Hades? They would notice…” The god struggled to get his thoughts and words together to make a coherent message. He was not even sure where he stood in this situation. There was Kore, a young goddess he cared for like a little sister who was probably doing what she thought was right and got carried away with her powers. Then there was the fact that Kore had killed several people without permission from Zeus or Hades and then consumed two souls, encroaching on his boss’ domain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hermes… you care about my Kore?” Hermes nodded to Demeter’s question without hesitation. “Do you remember what happened to the last god who was able to raise the dead as Kore can? Asclepius?” Demeter paused to let the god think. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, Hermes remembered Asclepius. Apollo is his roommate, the father of the unfortunate demi-god. He never forgot how heartbroken his friend was to learn how his son died. The vermillion god could not even imagine Kore being mauled by the gatekeeper of the Underworld. He could not let that happen. His somber, crimson gaze met Demeter’s violet one and he nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know we are asking a lot of you but you work for the god of the dead. You are in a position to make this go… undetected.” Her voice was sickly sweet and way too convincing. She continued to speak, “My daughter’s reputation is everything as the goddess of Spring and I know how much you care about her.” The god did not speak or look up from the ground, he just nodded in agreement. “I appreciate your help with this Hermes, deceiving Hades is no small task,” Demeter said with a small smile spreading across her lips as she slid a blank check across the desk over to Hermes. Startled, realizing he was being bribed, he finally looked up to meet Demeter’s gaze and found her with a menacing look in her eye. “Just know… that if anyone finds out about our little secret and I find out it came from you; I will want that money back and then some.” She made a threatening hiss. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Understood.” Hermes nodded and stood up quickly from his seat to gain distance from Demeter. “Can I see Kore before I go? Just to see she is alright.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She is fine Hermes, she is asleep.” Demeter clipped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t feel comfortable leaving until I see her for myself…” Hermes said, trying to stand his ground but his voice still faltered slightly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. This way.” She waved him over with one hand with an annoyed tone in her voice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hermes had never been inside the home before but he did recall Kore telling him her room was on the second floor. So, the god became confused when Demeter led him down the stairs and towards the back of the house. They entered a four seasons patio and the green goddess opened the doors to the back yard, making the god even more perplexed. “I thought you said she was asleep Demeter?” Hermes called out maintaining some distance from the goddess. There were two flower nymphs following them closely once they stepped outside, like a shadow of Demeter’s. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She is. She is out here.” The goddess said simply, continuing to lead him in the direction of a large glass structure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two nymphs looked at him with hopeful eyes. Hermes was not sure what they were thinking, but it had to be about their goddess of Spring. As they got closer, he could see a small, pink body balled into the fetal position on the dirt ground inside the house of glass. He ran past Demeter and pressed his hand to the glass, peering in closer at his friend. Someone had washed the blood off of her and changed her clothes but she looked pitiful crouched in the dirt like that. “Why is she here and not in a bed?” Hermes glared incredulously at Demeter. The nymphs shadowing behind the goddess of the harvest were staying a few paces back to spectate the interaction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You saw what happened today Hermes! She is dangerous and could have gotten caught. I will not let that happen again.” She scowled back at him, slightly raising her voice in frustration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, your plan is to keep your daughter in a cage?! What will happen when other gods notice? Or when she finally starts to fight for her freedom? She listens to you now but that will change quickly if you lock her in a house of glass.” He raised his voice back at her. He let the anger flood out of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Demeter flinched as he spoke about Kore possibly rebelling against her. Those words were like a venomous snake’s bite. “Watch your tongue boy! I am still one of the high six and can put you into your place. Kore is my daughter and I will raise her as I see fit.” Her face drew closer to Hermes’, forcing him to back up against the greenhouse to keep a distance from her. However, he still felt some of her spit on his face. “Leave now Hermes and maybe you will still be allowed to see my daughter.” She threatened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The god leaned away from the glass wall and stepped away from Demeter, still brushing shoulders and exchanging angry glares with the goddess. He took one last look back at the sad, little goddess hugging herself on the dirt floor of the glass cage and felt his chest tighten. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of the nymphs, the shorter one of the two walked up behind him and spoke quietly enough for only him to hear her. “Don’t worry, we will take care of her. Not all the nymphs are Demeter’s.” Her voice sounded like the strums of a lyre. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned his head to her and mouthed ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ to the reassuring flower nymph before flying off in the direction of the Underworld. Next, he had to worry about how he was going to explain away the large influx of souls and the two souls that will forever be missing. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Before the break of dawn, Lyris would carry a large basin of water with soap, towels, clothes, and other supplies to the greenhouse behind the home. The charms that kept anyone from leaving or entering the glass structure would lift briefly to allow the nymph to enter. After a few days of pleading with Demeter, they were finally allowed to bring Kore’s mattress into the space so the goddess no longer had to sleep on the dirt ground. Kore laid in the bed supinated, as they had left her last night, breathing softly with no awareness of her surroundings. It had been a week since the goddess collapsed and she had not awoken to eat, drink, or use the bathroom at all, making Lyris worry greatly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The few times she and Oria confronted Demeter about her daughter needing to see a doctor, possibly even Apollo. Demeter threatened to expel the two nymphs from the estate, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘leaving them vulnerable to the dangers of mortal men’</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she said. Both of the two nymphs had only a few encounters with men, never living anywhere but the estate, making the threat real to them. There was also the concern of who would keep Kore’s needs in mind? Lyris and Oria decided they just had to do their best to care for the goddess themselves, minding Demeter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lyris crouched next to the sleeping goddess, “Good morning Kore,” she greeted while pulling her covers away. “I am not sure if you can hear me but it is morning and I need to help you get cleaned up and dressed for the day.” Gently lifting the goddess’ head, she leaned Kore so her head and shoulders rested on Lyris’ knees making Kore sit up a little while Lyris brushed her teeth. Once Kore’s mouth was clean and drained of excess saliva, Lyris laid her back down and grabbed the soapy rag from the water basin. Interchanging between the soapy and wet rags, the nymph washed the girl’s body and shaved her legs. Finally, she dried her off with a towel, dressed her in a new, white nightgown, and braided her hair into a Dutch braid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Lyris finished helping Kore with her cares, she would lay next to Kore in the open space on the queen mattress. “Maybe today you will wake up.” She would say to herself every day like a prayer. In the nymph’s boredom and to spite Demeter by giving her daughter more privacy, she would grow flowers, leaves, and vines that grew to the ceiling of the greenhouse. Creating a maze of plants and obstructing any one’s view of the goddess from the outside. Demeter would kill the plants, of course, but she would always put them back up. Later in the day, Oria would come to take over and they would take turns to make sure the goddess would not be alone when she woke up. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Everything felt like it had been hit by one of Zeus’ lightning bolts when Kore came more into consciousness. There was the urge to stay still and play dead forever to avoid aggravating the pain but there was also the yearning to move her muscles, at least shift her weight. Were her muscles rotting away? How long had she been asleep? She opened her eyes slowly but her eyes were sensitive to the bright sun, causing her to groan loudly and lift her arm to cover her eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>My muscles are definitely wasting away</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she had concluded. Her arm was so weak it was shaking as she lifted it to shield her eyes from the light. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Gods!” A familiar voice spoke from somewhere beside Kore. “Kore you are awake!” They sounded ecstatic. Their voice was like the chorus to a song. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore tried to sit up in what she assumed was her bed and open her eyes again. “Lyris?” She guessed who the person was. Opening her eyes, she was able to tolerate the light but the room seemed to spin all around her making it hard for her to focus. However, the more she kept her eyes open, the more her vision focused and she was able to see she was not in her room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I am here Kore.” The nymph placed a hand on Kore’s shoulder. “We should get you some food and water… maybe find you a bathroom…” Her voice trailed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lyris looked just like how Kore remembered her being. Still taller than her. Magenta with aquamarine blotches on her skin and hair with blue eyes. However, Kore did not recognize these surroundings. They were sitting on her mattress, which rested on the dirt floor of an enclosure with a glass ceiling and walls of vines, florals, and greenery. “Lyris… where are we? What do you mean by finding me a bathroom?” She scrunched her brows together in confusion. “How long have I been asleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “You have been asleep for two weeks now Kore.” Lyris paused, she was not sure how to explain the rest to her. “I will have your mother come to tell you the rest.” She stood up and walked through a maze of plants out of Kore’s sight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Two weeks?</span>
  </em>
  
  <em>
    <span>How could I sleep for two weeks? And why in here?</span>
  </em>
  <span> The goddess’ eyes flickered across the room, her head and shoulders trembling with anxiety. Red columbines grew as her hair increased in length, only further showcasing the goddess’ uneasiness for the situation. Her mood began to impact the plants covering the walls causing them to brown and wilt to the ground. More light soon flooded the space making Kore shield her eyes until they adapted again. Removing her hands from her eyes, she realized she was in the greenhouse her mother used to cage her in as a child. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Reflexively, she sprung up from her seat on the floor and ran to the door and tried to open it. Only to feel a shock journey up her arms when she tried to turn the knob. She pounded the glass with her fists as hard as she could. “Let me out!” She screeched. “Mama! I am awake! Let me out of here!” She continued to pound her fists and kick the glass walls of the structure. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not again, not again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, her brain was crying, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I will be good this time… just let me out, please…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Demeter appeared in front of the greenhouse with Oria and Lyris in a fog of verdant smoke, remaining on the other side of the glass making Kore feel like a caged animal. “Kore-cob! I am glad to see you are awake!” Demeter smiled at her daughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “Mama let me out please…” Tears were now dripping down Kore’s cheeks making her nymphs’ eyes water too. She rested her fists and forehead against the glass and fell to the ground on her knees. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “I am disappointed in you Kore.” Her mother’s voice became cold. “Not only did you kill several mortals but you almost got caught stepping in another god’s domain with your tricks. You could have gotten more than a slap on the wrists Kore; you could have been killed by angering another god!” She paused to let her words sink into her daughter’s skull on how dangerous the situation could have been. “As always, your mama cleaned it up for you. Everything is taken care of.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “I am sorry mom. I won’t do that type of magic again.” Kore sniffled while looking down at the withered plants at her feet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “You most certainly will not. Because you will not be leaving that greenhouse.” Demeter clipped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Kore’s head shot up and her eyes were as wide as saucers. “You cannot keep me in here! People will notice I am missing! Who will do Spring? I need to pee!” Her voice grew in volume with each sentence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “I have handled Spring by myself before, I will do it again.” Her mother waved dismissively. “I am also not worried about anyone noticing you being missing.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was right. Demeter was known to keep her daughter isolated for long periods. If Kore were to go missing, it would take the rest of the pantheon years to notice. Kore did not have years to wait around for other gods to notice her disappearance. “I still need to pee!” The little goddess shrieked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lyris, bring my daughter a bucket and some toilet paper. Maybe revive some of those plants for some privacy?” Demeter ordered the shorter of the two nymphs before turning back to walk towards the house. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore let out a growling shriek and kicked the glass as hard as she could in frustration. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is my life now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the goddess groaned internally. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Just before it was time to clock out, Hecate ran into Cerberus in the dark hallways and walked with the Underworld’s gatekeeper to the King’s office. The cerulean beauty knocked on the door since Hades must have already sent his receptionist home for the day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come in.” Hades’ baritone voice from the other side of the door called. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hecate allowed Cerberus to enter first, catching a whiff of Hades’ cigar and dark roasted coffee as the smell escaped the office. The god was sitting at his desk with Hermes sitting across from him with a nervous look on his face that only worsened when he saw the goddess of witchcraft and Hades’ second in command enter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cerberus, Hecate, welcome. I was waiting for you two to join.” The god of the dead allowed the three-headed mutt to climb his lap and lick his face. Returning the affection by scratching behind his ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The goddess bowed her head to her King in reply then her gaze shifted to the nervous, vermillion god sitting across from Hades. “Hermes, a pleasure to see you.” She gave him a curt smile. “Did Hades tell you what this meeting was about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“N-no, Ma’am. We have just been waiting for you.” He explained, his voice had a small shake to it that Hecate noticed. The god still sported his wild, windblown red hair which might not have been possible to tame due to his tendency to fly at superluminal speed. However, he wore a basic black suit and tie with a white dress shirt, all clean, pressed, and professional. Somehow none of it was ruined from all of his flyings he did today. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it is no wonder you seem anxious.” She chuckled and gave Hades a look that he could only read as, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>why do you torture this poor boy?’</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which he only shrugged to her in reply, pretending to be clueless. “We called you here to discuss how great of a job you are doing Hermes and offer you a more permanent position.” The goddess explained, internally rolling her eyes at Hades’ need to scare new employees. “Your incredible speed made it so you were able to clear the ghost town of Savoca in one day when Thanatos had been working on that location for over a month. Hades and I both agree that it is time the god of the dead has some more help with his work.” She slid a stapled packet of papers to Hermes across the desk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This contract outlines the same job descriptions, just a slight bump in pay, access to benefits, and your position will no longer be temporary.” Hades chimed in as Hermes began to skim through the employment contract. His hand was now resting on Cerberus’ head middle head, still giving the dog ear scratches as the dog stood beside him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blank check that Demeter had given Hermes was still in his wallet. Still blank and never cashed in. Yet he still felt like he did not deserve the position they were offering him because of Demeter, that check, and his need to protect Kore. But would he need to keep this position to protect Kore from anyone noticing his cover-up? The god could lie if he had to, he was the god of thieves after all, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have a conscience. He still tried to rationalize his guilt away by saying he was doing it all for Kore. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hermes took a pen from Hades’ pen holder and signed the bottom of the contract and slid it across back to them. “Thank you, I am glad to have a more permanent spot here.” He held a small smile while reaching to shake Hades’ and Hecate’s hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We are glad to have you.” Hecate smiled as she returned his handshake. Hades' handshake followed after hers and Hermes left the room shortly after to leave for the day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hades let out a breath he did not know he was holding in. “I am glad that went well and Thanatos did not do something to scare him off.” He sighed in relief, falling back into his chair to take a large sip of his coffee. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am unsure of why you assume every Olympian will automatically hate the Underworld. The younger gods tend to have much more open minds than their older counterparts.” Hecate chuckled to herself while pouring herself a mug of coffee from the coffee pot at the beverage station.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are more positive and worry less than me old friend.” The god rolled his eyes while taking a drag of his cigar, spinning his desk chair to face the wall of glass behind his desk. Admiring the metropolitan scape of his realm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Being the goddess of witches gives me better intuition.” She sipped her coffee with a smirk on her face while leaning back on the god’s desk to admire the same view from the wall of glass. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It must.” The god nodded. “You know what is weird?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s that?” Her saffron eyes studied the pedestrians below them as they moved around like confused little ants in a helter-skelter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It had been two weeks since we have had those blue flowers fall from the sky. Usually, they come every week…” Hades had a small smile that splayed on his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Did he enjoy the flowers? He is such a softy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Hecate rolled her eyes to herself finding the humor in the 6’6” king of the dead excited over the weekly raining florals. However, he was right. It had been two weeks since blue flowers fell from our cosmic sky. Did Kore move on? Or did something else happen? “You are right, they did come every week…”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>She stared at herself in the mirror. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I cannot have that bump growing on my cheek… I can’t be called ugly again by him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She tried to pop the blemish with her extraction tools and tweezers. It was obvious it was not ready to be extracted but she was not going to let anything have the chance of discoloring her face, even if her eyes were tearing up from purposefully cutting into her skin with the tools. As soon as she finished the first step of her ritual, she brushed her teeth, flossed, brushed again, and then put on some whitening strips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Next was her skin, again. With difficulty discerning the red hairs from her red skin, she plucked her eyebrows and derma-bladed her face. Her skin was burning which told her the derma-blading was getting all of the dead skin and peach fuzz from her face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I cannot have any flaws</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she groaned to herself internally. Though her skin stung, she exfoliated it some more with a face and body scrub, rubbing it into her skin until her skin went from scarlet to burgundy. Then she applied her face mask, hair mask, and covered her body entirely in lotion. Being covered in lotion and other beauty products for three hours is a very itchy process, however, Minthe mastered the process by finding a black, stretchy onesie to keep all of the lotions to her skin and Nymphlix to distract from the itch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the time was up, she could finally shower off all of the products and shave her arms, legs, chest, and personal places. She could not have hair anywhere where he did not like it. Her showers would always take at least an hour and she would have to be careful not to clog the shower drain with her thick hair. Before bed, she slathered her face with anti-acne cream and moisturizer, coated her lashes with lash growth serum, applied chapstick, took her weight loss pills, and covered her body with more lotion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was her hygiene ritual every night, she started sometime when she finished work at 6 pm and would be in bed by 10 pm. It had been the routine she used when she entered her first abusive relationship at thirteen years old, now she was a century old and had been in three abusive relationships that had her keep the same routine so she did not slip in her appearance. She had not been in an abusive situation for the last two years but still held onto the self-care routine. It was the only consistent thing she had in her life at the time and she still found comfort in it now. Whenever she refers to pleasing </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘him’</span>
  </em>
  <span> now, it is the fear that continues to drive her nightly ritual. How her exes used to beat her for not wearing makeup or accidentally missing a patch of hair while shaving. The need to maintain her physical appearance to someone else’s specifications. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the morning, Minthe woke up and walked straight to the mirror above the sink in her master bathroom. The negative self-talk began to bubble up as she saw her zit extraction from last night had led to a small scab on her face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You idiot, of course, you could never be pretty. You can never do anything right.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Already she had lost her appetite for the day by seeing her face in the mirror. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and hair, applied makeup, straightened her hair, and took her diet pill with a cup of caffeinated detox tea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Saturday and she had no plans for the day, but that was not going to stop her from dressing up. She felt more daring today, choosing to wear black skinny jeans, shiny, black stilettos, and a white V-neck that would display her black lacy bra nicely. The clothes fitted her like a glove and for once she looked at the mirror with a little less self-hatred than usual. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I look hot… I should go show myself off…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a bar not far from Minthe’s apartment called Sips of Phlegethon that was open all hours of the day. It was only noon but she did not work tomorrow and she was tired of hiding in her apartment due to her post-traumatic stress disorder. The bar had a dirty grey brick and a neon sign with nearly blacked-out tinted windows on the outside. On the inside, the seats were either booths or stools at the bar. The center floor had games such as air hockey, billiards, foosball, and a few arcade games filling the space. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minthe sat at a stool and waved down the bartender, ordering herself a margarita and a sandwich to encourage herself to take bites of. Then she looked down at her phone and scrolled through Fatesbook, pretending like she was occupied. The bartender brought her order to her in ten minutes and she nursed her food into her mouth while still scrolling through her newsfeed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Day drinking all by yourself? You seem too pretty for that.” A male voice from behind Minthe spoke. Then the chair to her right shifted and made a ‘squeaking’ sound. The voice came from a centaur more than twice the vermilion nymph’s size. His features were very similar to that of her second abusive ex-boyfriend, immediately putting her on edge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the anxiety Minthe so far had was staying internal. Her face and body showed no sign of her being nervous just unsure of how to respond to the man speaking to her. “Oh, well, I am just here for lunch.” She gave a fake smile, trying to ignore her rapid heart rate and elevated adrenaline. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll join you. I come here for lunch myself almost every day.” He gave her a smile. “Hey, Jace!” He called to the bartender who was across the room. “Grab me and the lady some Tsipouro shots!” He wrapped his arm around Minthe’s shoulders, causing her body to tremor and her brain to short circuit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It-Its on-only noon… I don’t think I need anything that strong that early in the day…” Minthe declined with as much politeness as she could muster, moving the man’s arm off of her shoulders and back to his side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man’s brows scrunched in frustration and he leaned closer into Minthe. “Come on.” He purred with a voice like honey while he placed his hand on her right knee, slowly sliding it up her thigh. “Don’t be a tease. Nobody comes to a bar at noon unless they want to get shitfaced.” His hand was now cupping a spot between her thighs he should not be cupping. Instead of pushing him away, she began to hyperventilate and cry. Both of her hands clutching her throat to show the universal sign that she could not breathe. “Holy fuck, what is going on…” The centaur muttered to himself jumping off of the stool and backing away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She told you ‘no’ and you did not respect her space. That’s what genius. Now get out before I have Jace call the cops jackass.” An extremely pale blue ocean nymph yelled from one of the stools at the other end of the counter. The centaur scurried out the front door as the nymph hopped down from her stool and approached Minthe’s seat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minthe’s breathing was still labored and irregular but she was not hyperventilating anymore. Her crimson eyes were staring straight off into space, open as wide as they could, and not blinking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The light blue nymph tried to arouse her by snapping her fingers in Minthe’s face to no avail. Climbing onto the stool across from Minthe’s, the nymph leaned forward in front of Minthe and pinched her nose and covered her mouth so she could not breathe. She then watched Minthe’s eyes closely to see when they shifted. Minthe’s chest fidgeted and the nymph could feel the resistance of air pressure on her hands as Minthe was struggling to inhale. After a minute or so, Minthe’s scarlet eyes began to move around, searching for why she could not breathe and the nymph released her grasp. Letting Minthe gasp for air as she leaned against the counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel like I have seen you before.” The pale blue nymph said while trying to recall where she had seen the red nymph’s face before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I. Doubt. It.” Minthe spoke between gasps of air. “I only go between my apartment and my job. This is the first time I have really gone out in two years.” She rested her forehead on the counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ocean nymph looked up periodically from her phone at the river nymph. “Wow, that is sad… Where do you work?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where over half this city works, Underworld Corporation. I am the King’s personal assistant.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s where!” The nymph squealed excitedly. “My name is Thetis. I am Zeus’ personal assistant.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Small world.” Minthe smiled up at the nymph. “Nice to meet you Thetis. I am Minthe… Thanks for getting rid of that creep for me.” She trailed shyly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no worries. Us crownies need to stick together.” Thetis returned the smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minthe raised her brow in confusion up at the blue nymph. She had never heard that word before in her job description. “Excuse me but what is a crownie?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thetis paused the typing she was doing on her phone and looked up at Minthe in disbelief. She saw the seriousness in Minthe’s eyes and locked her phone and slowly placed it on the counter next to her. “Are you telling me… you have almost daily contact with a king… the god of wealth for fucks sake… and have not even attempted to seduce the man?!” She ranted in a whispered shriek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minthe shook her head with a clueless look on her face as if the thought had never occurred to her. “I only got the job through a program.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Minthe!” Thetis yelled in a whispering tone. “You have no idea how fortunate you are! You could already have that man buying you designer clothing and taking you on luxury spa days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bu-but you just saw me now… I can’t be near a man without having a panic attack… There is no way I could keep it together around the god of the dead…” The crimson nymph looked to the ground with a defeated sigh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thetis leaned closer to Minthe in her seat and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry, Minthe, we just need to get you some practice. A man that is almost as dead as the king of the dead…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minthe raised her brow in confusion at Thetis. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, a tall male in a black suit and tie entered the bar and walked towards the two nymphs. His eyes were such a pale blue they could have almost been clear. The silvery-blue hair that framed his face was down, wavy, and jaw length. He was tall with a thin, lean body and well-defined cheekbones and a masculine jaw. His hair matched his skin and wings. It was a shame he had to put his wings away because they were the most impressive thing to Minthe. They were massive and covered with feathers like a swan. She thought he was quite handsome given Thetis assigned him as her practice buddy. Though Minthe was not sure Thetis told him what his role was…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Minthe, meet Thanatos, the god of death.” Thetis gestured to the tall, handsome god with the smile of a scheming matchmaker. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: when someone is having a panic attack, do not be a Thetis, do not cut off their sources of oxygen. That is not a reliable way of relaxing someone going through a panic attack and you will probably do more harm than good.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Saving For Later</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The fates have an agenda. Appearances from Minthe, Cerberus, the big idiot squad, Hecate, and eventually Kore.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey all, Vendetta here, and I am alive! Like many of you, classes have resumed causing COVID19 cases to spike like crazy in the area I am in causing my hospital to need more staff and I am also a slow typist which slows my writing immensely. Thankfully, I was able to get this chapter typed out for you all before the weekend. Hopefully, I can get another one out this month. The goal is hopefully 2 chapters a month. </p>
<p>I was also considering starting a series of fluffy one-shots... I am not sure yet. Give me some ideas on possible writing prompts for future one-shots maybe?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>In a broom closet on the 67th floor of Hades Corporation, a god with a ruined man-bun and silvery-blue skin was panting on the floor, leaning against a large bucket full of dirty mop water. His jacket was hanging off the shoulders, his tie around his shoulders untied, his dress shirt unbuttoned, and everything else from the waist down still pulled to his ankles. Meanwhile, in the opposing corner, a vermillion river nymph is shimmying her sweaty body back into a short, black, bodycon dress and checking her makeup in her compact mirror. Her legs were still shaking from standing up too soon after having the ride of her life (and her stilettos were not helping) but she wanted to leave the closet quickly- looking to avoid any post-sex conversation or romance.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noticing she was turning the knob, Thanatos began to speak, “That. Was. Amazing.” He panted between breaths. “We should do this more…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minthe hated how he was constantly hinting for something more when she did not want a relationship. She still feared being another man’s property and was only interested in Thanatos to fill her loneliness. Recovering from an abusive past meant that isolation was almost inevitable and that is exactly what she did for 2 years of her life. “It was okay.” She deadpanned. “Just remember, we aren’t anything serious.” Were her last words before walking out of the closet and making her way back to the elevator and riding it up to her floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eleven months ago, Minthe would not have even made eye contact with a man, let alone just did a hump and dump within an office closet. She had done a complete 180-degree shift in personality since she came to the office with the help of the Leto project. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everybody pictures the girl who escaped her abuser as being fragile, distraught, maybe even psychoneurotic. No one ever sees the other half of what can become of someone trying to heal from domestic abuse. The side where their heart becomes closed off but they are not afraid to sleep around, incapable of love, or caring for others’ emotions. Some may even be like Minthe and start off sensitive and neurotic and then over time turn into the apathetic girl who lacks impulse control. She is not a psychopath by any means, she has emotion and can read other’s emotions perfectly well, she just no longer cares. Life dealt a bitter hand because others were not so nice to her so she no longer cares to live for anyone but herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Trust is not something Minthe shares easily. Thanatos is still not allowed to enter her apartment or ask her about her life before coming to the Underworld. She is more likely to have sex with a stranger than pour out her emotions to someone she has known for a few months. Since she flipped personalities, she is not even sure when the last time has she actually had a friend that she truly poured her heart out to. Even with Thetis, the crimson nymph words her words carefully. Thetis seems to have a personal agenda. As much as she would love to connect emotionally with someone again, she can never seem to find the strength to open herself up to being vulnerable. So, she remains hidden behind her venomous words and icy glares. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been almost a year since Minthe was introduced to Thanatos. The god had been a perfect choice for helping the scarlet nymph get over her apprehension of men. Her dread melted away as soon as she noticed how smitten the god of death seemed to be with her. Over the months, she noticed how much influence she had over the man. He was willing to buy her flowers on a whim, take her out to nice restaurants, and sometimes would give her money to get something done at Elysium Spa. Minthe had Thanatos in the palm of her hand. She only wondered how much control she could have over a king if she tried hard enough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thanatos was not only smitten with the nymph; he was willing to be patient with her too. Minthe noticed at about the 6-month mark of them knowing each other the god had been taking her on more romantic dates. However, her eyes were still set on Hades. Needing to squish any hopes this silvery-blue god had of them being together, she let it slip that he was the best friend with benefits that she ever had. Thanatos tried his best to hide the disappointment in his eyes that night but Minthe could still see it. They remained friends with benefits but the god of the dead always hinted that he wanted something more, Minthe always pretending like she was too dense to notice his subtle hints. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Advances towards Hades were initially very frustrating for the river nymph. Making sure to wear professional attire that showed what few curves she had. Including miniskirts and heels to show off her long legs or a low-cut top to show off her subtle cleavage and defined collar bone. However, this was not the right angle apparently. The king of the dead was a workaholic. His eyes were always glued to his computer, a stack of papers, or to his three-headed mongrel (that never seemed to like Minthe). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bending over to pick up ‘accidentally’ dropped pens, the god only glanced away from his work when his mutt decided to sniff Minthe between the legs from behind and make an overly dramatic, disgusted expression. As if to convey the nymph never showers. Hades had to hide the fact he was holding in a laugh from his dogs’ silly behavior, “I am sorry about him, he has an attitude sometimes.” He apologized sheepishly, his face almost turning violet (from wanting to laugh or being mortified, Minthe will never know), before turning back to his computer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That dog will be an outside dog when I am living in that mansion</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Minthe swore to herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another attempt Minthe tried was to lean into his desk to display her cleavage more to him or sit on the edge of his desk to showcase her butt. She did not have much for curves but she could use the point of view to her advantage. Despite her brilliant planning, this idea also did not work. After a week of trying this strategy, Hades looked at his assistant up and down as if he were pondering something while she was leaning against the edge of his desk, scrunching her elbows towards her navel to accentuate her breasts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know you have been leaning and sitting around my desk in odd positions all week…” He muttered, his right hand resting on his chin while he mulled over the possibilities. “If your back is bothering you that much, why not see the chiropractor included in your employee benefits?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minthe’s face was blank and her eyes looked straight ahead in disbelief. </span>
  <em>
    <span>In all of Gaia’s sweet creation, how could someone make a god so dense in the head</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the nymph asked herself; contemplating if banging her forehead against the desk would get her point across. Then her eyes came into focus and she saw a large blue hand waving in front of her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Minthe?... Minthe? You alright?” Hades had a concerned look on his face. Sometime while she zoned out he stood up in his chair and leaned over the desk to look closer at her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am fine,” She faked a chuckle to lighten the awkwardness,” my back just cracked funny. I guess I should check out that chiropractor.” She stood up straight, supporting her low back by placing her arms at her hips and began walking towards the door to head back to her desk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hades’ blue orbs blinked in confusion. “Alright, well if you are not feeling well or if the chiropractor has any openings today, you are free to leave early…” he muttered. Minthe did not respond and the office door clicked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not even a second later Hecate entered the office, sporting her favorite jeweled embellished black pantsuit and high heels. Only now, her bangs were cut straight across rather than in a ‘V’ shape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You cut your hair. It looks nice.” Hades noted, sitting back into his desk chair and pulling the needed papers for their meeting from his filing cabinet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dramatically flipping her hair and giving a sarcastic grin, “Why thank you. I will miss the ‘V’ shaped bangs but I plan on making more frequent trips to the mortal realm soon.” Her white smile showcased her fanged canine teeth. “The ‘V’ makes it harder to fit in, and wigs are not my thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is in the mortal realm besides the obvious?” He chuckled while moving to the black, leather couches in the center of the office.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“An old friend of mine got me interested in studying poisonous plants. I want to start some independent studying and maybe, in a few years, I will consider a short sabbatical if I really like the topic.” Hecate pulled some folders from her book bag and placed them on the coffee table between their seats. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well just let me know when and we will make it happen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know.” She nodded and gave him a warm smile. “Also, why was your secretary banging her head on her desk when I was walking by?” Hecate raised her raven brow curiously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hades made a sudden, full-body motion as if debating to go check on Minthe. He ended up staying seated in his spot on the sofa, however. “I have no idea. I suggested she see a chiropractor for her back pain. She has been leaning on my desk weird all week.” He said with a clueless, innocent expression that made Hecate weary of what really was going on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How was she leaning, Hades?” She did her best to hold in her laugh when the god of the dead stood up and leaned on his desk with his elbows pointing directly to his navel. What might look normal for a small woman to do looked extremely awkward on a 6’6” male. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Scrunching his face in confusion and frustration, he immediately stood up from his position on the desk and yelled, “What’s so funny?!” This only led to Hecate laughing so hard she had to lay down on the couch and Hades’ eyes turning crimson in annoyance. “It’s not nice to bully employees Hecate. Especially when they are in pain.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, she is definitely not in pain you big blue idiot.” She yelped between giggles. Trying to calm herself, she took deep breaths and wiped the tears on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hades waited for her to sit up and stop laughing before speaking again. “So, if it is not back pain, then what?” He sat down on the couch with a mug of black coffee in hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hecate shook her head in amusement. “Old friend, sometimes I wonder if the reason you are single is that you cannot tell how modern women try to get a man’s attention.” Her voice still shook a little bit with laughter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do know how women try to court, Hecate!” Hades retorted, folding his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The only examples you have are Zeus and Hera, Zeus as whatever animal he thinks horney mortals like, and Poseidon who just chose to marry the ex-princess of his new kingdom and they just somehow worked out.” She countered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My brothers are not my only examples; I have lived almost 2 millennia.” The god began to pout in frustration at Hecate’s comments. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She raised her brows and made an evil grin, her eyes glowing brilliant saffron. “Also, you did not notice how Minthe was leaning on your desk and pushing her breasts together to show you her cleavage.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The king of the dead’s eyes looked like they could shoot out of his head at that moment and his face flushed violet. He was trying to recall if that is what she was trying to do but his years of being a gentleman taught him to avoid looking at that area of a woman, especially in the workplace. The last thing the god needed was word going around the office that creature resources had to lecture the king of the Underworld on sexual harassment. Throwing his arms up in the air dramatically, “Of course I did not notice, I don’t gawk at my female employees all day. I have work to do, the Underworld doesn’t run itself, Hecate.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Letting out a chuckle and shaking her head, “I just find this hilarious is all, Hades. I have never seen you even attempt a real relationship and here your secretary tries to throw herself at you and you don’t even notice. It might be time to open your eyes a bit old friend.” Her hands reached for the papers Hades pulled out earlier for their meeting and her eyes began to skim the pages of the reports. “Let me just review these and then we can finally get down to business discussing how we are going to handle the large influx of shades predicted to come in these next few years thanks to Ares and Eris”. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allowing his colleague to read the reports the moirai had written, estimating the crude death rate for the next five years. Hades settle back in his seat on the sofa and sipped his espresso, indulging the wave of thoughts that were now flooding his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last time he had tried to be romantic with anyone, they had turned him down because of his position as king of the Underworld. However, that was many years ago, just after he and his siblings had won the Titanomancy. She was the most beautiful goddess he had ever seen and she married his younger brother. Now they rule over all of the gods and heavens but have the most broken marriage in the pantheon. Zeus, his younger brother, always cheated on her and she released much of her rage towards the women he slept with. Returning score by sleeping with Hades in secret. Not that the azure god minded. Hera has been his crush for centuries and he would do anything for her. There was still a twisted feeling in his chest every time he remembered how her aquamarine eyes became glassy with tears when she told him she never loved him romantically. But that sad memory was at least a decade ago now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Could I love someone else if I still have eyes for my brother’s wife?</span>
  </em>
  <span> The wheels in his brained spun internally, almost making him feel overwhelmed thinking about the psychological logistics of it. He had always been hesitant about courting other women because of his feelings for Hera and because he felt no one would date the dreadful god of the dead. Just the title itself made him sound like a character incapable of all love and emotion. </span>
  <em>
    <span>After all, what woman wants to be with a man in a world surrounded by dead people?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It is not everyday Hades allows himself to sleep in, but when he does, he cherishes every extra minute he gets to sleep and stay in bed with his small army of fluffy companions. No alarm was set on the god’s iPomegranate X and he took his therapist’s recommendation of trying an herbal sleep aid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blue god’s massive frame was pushed to the far left of the king-sized bed, granting JP, Cerberus, and Mushroom the right side of the bed while Fudge slept in a small gap between Hades’ legs and Cordon Bleu perched in a chair in the far corner of the room. Having so many dogs created many awkward sleeping arrangements that often caused the god to wake up to dog fur obstructing his airways, but he would not have it any other way. He loved his dogs and how fulfilling it was to have something to care for. The Underworld’s best dog daddy some might say (mostly just himself). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite his unconditional love for his dogs, he would take back everything he said about how much he loves snuggling with them when they heard noises coming from the kitchen and sprang into action. The sound of pots and pans hitting against each other in the kitchen was like a siren call to the dogs. Suddenly, Hades’ efforts of sleeping in were ruined when a stampede of loud dogs skidded off of his bed and out of the bedroom, barking restlessly at what sounded like home intruders in the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What in…” Hades groaned while rolling out of bed and wiping the sleep from his eyes. Only wearing his black boxers with a small, white, diamond-shaped pattern, he stood to his full height and summoned is bident and stomped towards the kitchen. “Who in Tartarus breaks into the king of the Underworld’s house on a Sunday.” He bellows down the hall trying to sound as enraged as possible, hoping the intruders will just run away so he can go back to bed. From the kitchen, he can hear the frustrated utterances of two men not within his view yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, are you going to help get Cerberus off of me?!” One of them squeaked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, you are the one that is always pissing him off by teasing him with your food. Until Hades gets here, I am letting the dog have his revenge.” The other’s voice vibrated in quiet laughter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Some brother you are!” The one struggling against Cerberus hissed. “Hades!” He started yelling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Was that Zeus? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hades recognized the snobbish tone of his youngest brother. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hades, calm the fuck down, and get your dog off of me!” That pompous voice groaned again. They seemed to be now struggling with whatever Cerberus was doing with them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, that’s him…</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hades let out a loud, dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes in annoyance. His brothers did not come into view until he descended his stairs and neared the final few steps into the main living area where the living room, mudroom, dining room, and kitchen were. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Poseidon was behind the gaslit stove making pancakes and frying bacon, peacefully humming a tune. Five feet away in the dining room, Cerberus had Zeus pinned to the floor, sitting on the violet King’s chest and swinging his large tail in his face. Zeus’ yelps for help were intermittently muffled or interrupted by a large, black tail hitting him in the face. The raven-furred dog was larger than his ‘indoor’ size. He had increased his body frame from the size of a pony to a polar bear and was purposefully bearing all of his weight to Zeus’ chest. Poseidon’s humming and Zeus’ pleading seemed to harmonize in an odd comedic way that Hades was sure Poseidon was doing purposefully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sight made it difficult for Hades to hold back a smile or laughter. His teeth clamped down on the insides of his cheeks to keep him from giggling at Cerberus’ revenge against his brother. He was still very annoyed his brothers had broken into his house and woke him up when he wanted to sleep in. He wanted to give them no indication he was in a good mood. “What does a god have to do to get some sleep?” Hades moaned, rubbing more of the sleep from his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Poseidon gestured for Hades to take a seat at one of the barstools at the kitchen island on the opposite side from the verdant god’s hot cake station. Hades obliged, both brothers were still ignoring Zeus’ complaints about help with Cerberus. Hades was surprised Zeus did not just try to move the dog himself with his godly strength. A stack of kitty-shaped pancakes with a few strips of bacon and mulberry syrup were slid across the counter by a green hand in front of the blue god. “It’s Sunday Brunch, brother. Zeus knew you would try to bail, so he decided to bring the brunch to you.” Poseidon paused, his seaweed green orbs watching Zeus struggling to free himself from under the massive stygian hound while using minimal godly power. “I guess he forgot how tight you keep security here though.” He gave a small chuckle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you make me another plate?” Hades grinned at his brother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raising one green brow in confusion, “are you that hungry this morning man?” The king of the sea inquired while fixing him another plate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A ceramic plate of pancakes and bacon skidded across the hardwood floors of the kitchen towards the dining room. Where the food stopped just out of Cerberus’ reach, causing the pup to leave his seat on the King of the God’s sternum to retrieve the home cooking before the rest of the wolf pack came across it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zeus stood up and brushed the black fur off of his clothes and face. “About time. I have no idea what you like so much about dogs, Hades.” He complained while trying to get fur off of his tongue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have no idea what you are talking about. That itself was pretty entertaining.” Hades gave his brother a sarcastic grin while accepting the new plate of food Poseidon was handing him. “I wish I could teach all of my dogs to protect my house from you like that.” The god of the dead remarked while admiring his beast-dog hybrid while it feasted on his other brother’s cooking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Purple irises were still staring daggers between the two elder brothers, ignoring the steaming plate of food a green hand was sliding across the counter in Zeus’ direction. “Yes, well… Thetis told me something extremely interesting recently…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sleeping with the boss was not in her job description?” Poseidon murmured, causing Hades to almost snort his black coffee. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! But it should be….” The god of Thunder paused to think. “Anyways… she told me our big blue idiot has had a new, gorgeous secretary for over a year, that he has never told us about, and she has the hots for him.” His violaceous face contorted to a look of mischievousness and meddlesomeness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bro!” Poseidon’s normal ears morphed into his finned merman ears as he swung around the counter to stand beside his older brother. “How come you never told us you had a lady friend you were seeing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because I don’t, she is just my secretary who happens to be a female.” Hades deadpanned while eating another strip of bacon. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t even have feelings for her</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zeus made a loud, dramatic gasp as if someone had just lit one of his temples ablaze. “There is no such thing as just being friends or colleagues with a female.” His right hand was clutched close to his chest as if clutching his imaginary pearl necklace. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The emerald and ruby-toned irises of Poseidon and Hades did a 360-degree spin at their little brother’s dramatic display. “How Hera chose you will always be one of the world’s unsolved mysteries.” Hades shook his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It still would not hurt you to put yourself out there, brother. I don’t think I have seen you on a date in decades. It’s time to put yourself out there.” Poseidon encouraged while making gestures with his fork to emphasize his words before eating another piece of his pancake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Purple arms raised high in the air like a worshipper who heard the truth of the gods. “Thank you, Poseidon! We need to take Mr. Lady-Killer for a night on the town.” Zeus’ voice yelled in excitement, knowing that this meant going to bars and clubs to scope out women that he would probably take to bed instead of his brothers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought this was just a family brunch? The rest of my Sunday was planned for sleep, not staying up late on a work night to check out the Underworld’s nightlife and wake up with an awful hangover.” Hades whined. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine… not many babes party on a Sunday anyways.” Zeus groaned. “Keep this Friday night open. No excuses.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No cheating on Hera, Zeus.” The god of the dead ordered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This night is for me, not for you.” His youngest brother assured. Internally, the concord-shaded god was trying to recall which club had ‘ladies night’ this Friday, knowing his picky brother needed variety and he would want whatever was left. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The musty smell of wet dirt and fresh rain was the first thing Pia noticed when her spirit came into consciousness. Leaves were rustling chaotically in the wind and the air weaved along her skin and between her fingers, telling her that she was airborne wherever she was. Although she was awake, her eyelids were too heavy to force open. There was a pair of thin, lean arms she could feel supporting her shoulder blades and thighs, likely carrying her bridal style while her head leaned back into her shoulders. Small strands of her hair spun in the air and tickled her face and neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A piercing sensation running vertically down her torso made the mortal grit her teeth to keep from screaming. Her chest felt exposed and the edges of open skin were burning with inflammation. But her wound also felt cold because of the gust of wind brushing along the skin’s surface. The sound of the angel of death’s scythe effortlessly slashing through her sternum still rung in her ears, the whistling noise of air being divided in half hastily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Several minutes in the sky flew by. The air seemed to be getting more humid and colder as they traveled further to their destination. Pia felt they were in a place of woodland or cave-like terrain since all she could smell was moss, mildew, and rain. There was a feeling in the soothsayer’s gut that said to run. Goosebumps were starting to form on her arms and she fought the urge to shiver or allow her teeth to chatter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pia felt whoever was holding her land on the ground and begin to walk while still cradling Pia close to her chest. “Found the shade you wanted… and her body.” A female voice grumbled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why can’t I still open my eyes?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Pia screamed to herself internally. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why can’t I speak?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You trapped a soul in their dead body, Megaera? Well… that is one way to keep someone detained.” Another, much older, female voice muttered while running an index finger along the edges of Pia’s face. “My what a beautiful mortal. Shame she died the way she did.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What do you want with me?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Pia wanted to scream. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s cut to the chase Atropos, what do you and your sisters want with a dead mortal and their shade? My sisters and I will not hesitate to report this to Hades.” Megaera hissed, placing Pia’s corpse on an open wooden counter then folding her arms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you furies. So hostile all the time. You know the fates answer to no one, but I will tell you since I am sure our guest is still conscious and will want to know her fate.” The petite, azure goddess chuckled coldly while stopping to clean her glasses. Megaera stared at the mortal corpse with concern, trying to see any sign that it may indeed be conscious and listening to them. “That is not just any mortal. She is one of Asclepius’ bastard children and Apollo’s granddaughter. It seemed nobody was aware of this girl’s divinity even though she had many gifts… a shame really.” She let out a sigh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then why take her body and soul?” Megaera steered Atropos back to answering her question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a small, blue hand, the goddess of destiny gestured to a dense plexus of threads that hung from the ceiling of the cave above all of their heads. “Before the neo-Underworld and Hades introducing us to more modern methods, we recorded every living beings’ fate with a single strand of thread.” Her hand reached into the web of threads. She cradled a twisting of two threads, a golden one and bronze one, so Megaera could see how the two threads were joined together from that point on. “These are the threads of this girl’s and someone who has yet to exist. When they do exist, this girl’s needing to be there for their fate to happen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Was I not supposed to die? I am half a demi-god… </span>
  </em>
  <span>it felt like Pia’s forehead and temples were burning up from her trying to process all of this information. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was this an error?! We cannot revive a mortal without telling Hades, Atropos…” Megaera said hesitantly. The lilac fury did not want to anger her boss and crush.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was not an error and she does not need to be revived.” The azure goddess rolled her saffron orbs. “The fates make no mistakes.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At those words, Pia could hear the small steps marching towards her body. Suddenly, it felt like small hands were wrapping themselves around her heart and trying to pull it out of her chest. She wishes she could let out a scream now or flail her arms or legs. Anything to tell these people to stop what they were doing. There was the sound of broken glass vibrating in her ears and the sensation of bones cracking in her ribcage. Then she felt hollow. Where those hands were once pulling on her heart now feels like a large crater open to the air. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why do I feel so powerless now?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Pia cried to herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In Atropos’ hands was a raw, emerald gem with many irregular, sharp edges that could cut through a mortal’s skin. On another table near Pia’s feet was a small black jewelry box that had one of Hades’ jewelry store logos on the top of the lid. Atropos placed the gem on one of the two cushions and closed the box. Megaera still had her snake eyes wide with disbelief of what she had just witnessed the ancient goddess do. She stepped swiftly over to the black box and stared at the gem sitting on the satin black cushion perplexed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is that a godhead?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She wondered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Atropos had now fished a small jar no bigger than her pinkie finger from the pockets of her jeans. Inside the jar swirled a few drops of the water from the river Lethe. She removed the cork from the top of the jar and approached Pia’s body again. This time her eyes glowed a brilliant white and her right hand rested on the dead girl’s forehead. Another chilling feeling overcame Pia’s body and the sensation of pins and needles pricking every part of her body overcame her. She recognized the familiar feeling of her soul being separated from her body again. The hazy form of her soul blew out of her corpse’s mouth like another last breath and formed into a small cloud above her remains. Her eyes briefly saw the cave environment with a ceiling entangled in colorful threads and the two inhumanly toned beings before being forced into a small jar with a cork quickly closing over the top. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The large, blue hand that held the jar shook it a few times and some of the water went up Pia’s phantom nostrils causing her to swallow and gag till her airway was clear. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who am I? How did I get here? Will I be in this jar of water forever?</span>
  </em>
  <span> The spirit wondered. The large blue hand placed the small jar on a cushion next to the emerald in the black box and closed the lid. For someone who had no memories and was trapped in blackness, the soul was in a state of peace and was not afraid or worried. It must have been something in the water that was so soothing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What in Tartarus was all of that?” Megaera glared at the eldest fate then looked towards the black box worrying for the terrified shade. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is all in the plan,” Atropos said in a calm, flat tone. “Relax, she will be fine. She has Lethe’s waters to keep her calm and forgetful.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Immortality was such an enigmatic idea for many to grasp. Even the vast majority of the gods seemed to struggle with the unfathomable notion. Their time was limitless. Hades was one of the eldest gods in the Greek pantheon and had spent centuries imprisoned in Kronos’ stomach. Immortality was something he understood almost too well. Some days he felt it was his cross to bear. An eternity of misfortune for his mere existence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leaning back in his dark, leather, office chair, he nursed three fingers of neat whiskey between his lips while his left hand held a lit cigar between two fingers. It was only halfway through the week but it had been a rough one. Multitudes of newly acquired shades were crowding the beaches of Acheron due to the havoc Eris and Ares were allowed to cause in the mortal realm. This required the courts, Thanatos, Hermes, and Charon all to work overtime. Hades had just finished an extra-long shift of judging souls and was attempting to unwind. The exhausted king had changed from his mortal realm garb back into his black suit and tie, forgoing the jacket and rolling up his sleeves and loosening his tie. His suit jacket rested over the top of his chair and Cerberus was snuggled on one of the office sofas with a squeaky toy between his teeth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A mechanical clinking from the intercom at the top edge of his desk sounded before Minthe’s voice spoke through the other end, “Your majesty, you have two visitors here wanting to speak with you. I do not see any meetings on your calendar scheduled for now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of his large blue hands ran their fingers and palm along his forehead and gripped tightly on his messy, silvery-blue hair while he let out an exhausted groan. Pressing a button on the intercom to speak, “That is because I have no meetings scheduled and I do not want to see anybody right now. Tell them to leave a message.” He ordered with a tired, slightly annoyed tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The familiar clinking sound of the intercom returned, followed by Minthe’s response, “Sir, the visitors are two of the fates. They said they refuse to just leave a message.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Holding the button down, “Why did you not just lead off with that?” Hades groaned in annoyance. “Just send them in.” Being courteous, he smudged out his cigar and opened a window causing the smell of fresh rain to permeate the room rather than the smokey tobacco. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cerberus’ head raised at the sound of a door opening and closing downstairs and the steps of two goddesses walking up the stairs into Hades’ lofted office. The black hound had known the moirai since he was a pup but still felt guarded towards the mysterious triplets. Hades had learned a long time ago that although he was the king of the Underworld, he had no control over the moirai, who resided in his realm. That was for the best, however, gods should not be stepping into other gods' domains, especially if it dealt with fate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clotho appeared at the top of the stairs first, sporting a high ponytail that slicked back her turquoise hair with the use of a pink elastic headband and scrunchie. Her hair accessories were matched with a pink, plaid skater skirt, lacy tights, black combat boots, and a white crop top with a comic book hero on it. Following behind her was her second eldest sister, Lachesis. The middle triplet’s messy, turquoise waves and bangs were worn down like a tamed lioness mane, framing her thick-rimmed, purple glasses and cerulean visage. The belt wrapped around her navy, mom-jeans was the same purple as her glasses while her t-shirt was a black and white horizontal stripe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Clotho, Lachesis, what do I owe the pleasure? Where is Atropos? It is rare I ever see the three of you separated.” Hades greeted from his desk with a cordial smile. He gestured to the two seats in front of his desk for the two goddesses to sit down at. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aidoneus, it is wonderful to see you as always.” Clotho began to speak as the two sisters sat down in the black chairs across from Hades. “I am afraid Atropos had more important matters to attend to this evening. She sends her regards of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Heat bubbled up from Hades’ chest into his throat. “Please, save yourself the syllables, calling me Hades is fine.” He tried to hide any hint of anger in his voice. He had not heard that name being used in over a millennium. The name reminded him of how his youngest brother had cozened him into drawing the smallest straw and being condemned to the Underworld. Since that day, mortals and other gods began to refer to him as ‘Hades’ and was treated with fear and disgust. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Our apologies. My sister forgot that was a sensitive topic.” Lachesis said calmly, her amber eyes side glaring her sister. “We are here on business.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clotho spoke quickly after her sister's final sentence. The triplets always spoke as if every conversation had been rehearsed. “Tell me, your majesty, how did you get those scars? It is difficult for someone of our kind to get scars like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hades realized the few buttons he unfastened from his shirt had been enough to see some of the scars on his collarbone. Grabbing the collar of his dress shirt to rebutton the shirt, “I am sorry you had to see that. I know it can be disturbing to some...” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two pairs of dandelion irises looked quizzically at the shy king as he worked hastily to hide his imperfect flesh. “We are the moirai… We have seen and planned much more gruesome things.” Lachesis deadpanned. “We also know how you got them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fates made you almost too forgiving.” Clotho shook her head and sighed. “You could easily take the skies as your birthright. Instead, you allowed your brother to talk you into drawing straws like children fighting over toys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His entitled voice replayed in Hades’ head from that day, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“If it was not for me. You would still be inside of our father burning outside-in. It is only fair we all get an equal chance at the skies.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> That choking feeling of being unable to speak clearly just like back then was forming in his throat. If he did not have that stutter… If his skin did not break at every pull… If he were not such a weakling, maybe he would be king of the skies and have found love by now. Not be damned to a dark realm and a prophetic love life that could lead to an apocalypse. “Are you ladies here just to remind me of my past mistakes.” The god’s eyes glowed crimson in annoyance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Clotho’s brow quirked in amusement. “Although that is my specialty, this is more Lachesis’ and Atropos’ errand, but my door is always open if you ever want to process things.” She grinned slyly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will pass,” Hades muttered, causing the youngest of the fates to chuckle darkly. His eyes shifted over to Lachesis while he took another sip of his whiskey. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Removing her glasses to clean them with the cotton of her shirt, “I am sure you remember the little revelation we gave you many centuries back when you started ruling the Underworld?” Her large, golden eyes met with his crimson irises, covered under strands of her thick bangs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Giving a small nod, “yes, the one that says I will love two women but only one of them will keep me from starting a catastrophe?” His eyes shifted to the still unfinished cigar on his ashtray, wondering if they were going to have one of their discussions that will make him want to have more to smoke and drink. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of the sisters nodded. “Now is the time to start thinking carefully.” Clotho urged. “Destiny can go either way depending on what you choose to do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do I at least get a hint on what is not going to end the world?” The god looked at the two goddesses with uncertainty. “This is a lot to put on a god whose domain is dead people and monsters.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lachesis laughed wickedly at Hades’ unintentional joke making the god more nervous. The turquoise mysteriarch’s face eventually calmed and her saffron orbs met with the god of the dead’s, appearing almost reassuring. A look the god rarely saw from the moirai. “We may have called you ‘the unfortunate one’ in the past dear eldest son of Kronos, but that does not mean you are meant to suffer your entire existence. Even the king of the Underworld is allowed to be happy.” She said simply. The two sisters stood from their seats and straightened their clothing before turning a heel to leave the office down the stairs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And Hades,” Clotho spoke, pausing at the top of the stairs. “You can tell every person those scars are from Kronos till your blue face turns white but it still does not hide that there might be another bloodthirsty king ruling the skies.” She turned her head to see the king pale and frozen in his seat, appearing uncertain of how to respond to the comment. “Maybe it is time to visit your siblings and have some heart to hearts.” Clotho gave a small shrug and followed her sister down the stairs and out the office door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as he heard the door at the bottom of the stairs click shut, Hades grabbed his whiskey and downed the remaining amber liquid down his throat. The alcohol burned the lining of his throat and left a bitter aftertaste. Fishing a lighter from his suit jacket pocket, he relit his cigar and poured another three fingers of whiskey. Cerberus was now at his right side, resting his head on his master’s lap with his bumblebee squeaky toy still in his mouth. For the next hour, the god rotated between enjoying his cigar, giving Cerberus ear scratches, and nursing sips of whiskey down his throat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why can’t I ever have a pleasant conversation with those sisters?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He internally contemplated. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>           Leaning under the trunk of a weeping willow, lavender eyes scanned pages of a dictionary, completely enraptured by the emotions the words and definitions brought forth. With the sun barely breaking the horizon, the child struggled to read the pages’ small font. She raked her fingers through her short, pink but mostly blue hair and repeatedly muttered the words and definitions to herself like a prayer. Her pink and blue fingers traced along the bottom of each word to keep her place. The smell of old book pages mixed with the smell of fresh air and grass, helped the nymph to wake up more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           As the sun came more into view above the horizon, other nymphs began to wander from the trees, patches of grass, or other places that they may have slept from the night before. Soon the estate would become much noisier and chores were inevitable. Anemone rose from her spot under the willow, closing her book and sliding it into a satchel dangling beside her right hip. Her lilac irises betrayed her better judgment and when she looked up from putting her book away she spotted the glasshouse that was housing the lorn goddess of Spring. Demeter and other naiads had made attempts to liven the area with greenery and flowers to cheer the caged girl, but every plant within a 10-foot radius of the greenhouse would wilt or turn to ash within hours if not minutes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Although the gods do not need to eat or drink, Kore’s skin began to dull and her body thinned as she refused to eat. Her cheeks became sunken, her eye sockets hollowed, her eyes became void of any emotions, and her lips were dry and tore open with ichor dripping out easily. The nymphs all worried that the child was dying from purposeful starvation but to everyone’s horror, Demeter had destroyed every shrine she had made for her daughter, believing that if she kept her child’s powers to the bare minimum Kore would never act out of line again. The goddess of Spring was starving for worship from the mortals and was now severely emaciated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore had been kept prisoner in the greenhouse for about 18 months to date and she was 15 years old. Although, the goddess’ malnutrition and poor constitution made her still appear thirteen, possibly even twelve, due to her smaller frame and halted development. Demeter had attempted to visit her daughter multiple times but the visits had been short and far between since Kore refuses to speak or do much of anything. Not that the visits were pleasant or beneficial for anyone when Kore was more active, if anything Anemone dreaded seeing Demeter visit her daughter because an argument was inevitable. Every now and then Oria and Lyris visit Kore and try to convince her to clean up or drink some ambrosia. It usually ended with the two nymphs leaving the glass structure crying for their friend. Ambrosia was said to be sweet, golden nectar only gods could drink. It granted immortality and had extensive healing properties. However, no nymph was exactly sure, the sacred beverage was distilled and distributed only by the goddess of youth, Hebe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Beyond the obtrusive circumference of dead grass surrounding the house of glass, the mortal realm’s soil is still fertile, the grass is green, and the crops are flourishing. In her daughter’s involuntary absence, Demeter decided to handle the duties of Spring. Flowers were arranged and measured by the nymphs while Demeter grew fruits and rooted produce. Wildlife was monitored and thriving. It seemed not even a stone was out of place in Kore’s absence. Which was almost unsettling to the naiad. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anemone watched several blossoms open with her aid, her eyes intermittently flicking back to the greenhouse. Once she finished her task, her eyes then compared the surrounding lands to the area surrounding the arboretum, her face contorted more in anger as she did. The blue skies, plentiful produce, and captivating wildlife were a distraction from the depressing view in the backyard. She couldn’t help but feel almost mournful for the girl locked in a cage of glass. Kore had to sit there every day and watch as life continued without her, no one but her captors the wiser. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking a step towards the greenhouse, the only plants that seemed to grow within the ring of floricide were woven vines of blackthorns and orange butterfly weeds. Kore laid in a small, pitiful ball in a small corner of her bed. The goddess’s cerise hair was now longer than her full height, but one would not notice because it is entangled in thorny bramble and butterfly weeds pulling her hair into a frizzy updo on her head. She held her knees to her chest in the fetal position, laying on the dirty mattress in her soil-stained nightgown like a wounded animal. Oria and Lyris were leaning on a tree close by the structure. They appeared exhausted, leaning into each other so their shoulders and heads supported each other while staring blankly towards Kore’s direction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you two need a break to rest?” Anemone yelled over to them, startling them back to the present.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lyris’ head perked causing Oria’s head to fall to her shoulder. The nymph’s head turned in Anemone’s direction and her smile brightened. “That is so sweet of you to offer Nemmie! You are welcome to join us, we might just end up napping under this beautiful maple here though. Oria is tough to move once she is like this.” She made a small giggle, her laughter sounding almost like windchimes to the younger naiad. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Some people are too good at faking their smiles</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Anemone observed while studying Lyris’ face while she adjusted a faintly snoring Oria on her right shoulder. Letting the eldest nymph sleep, Anemone decided to sit to Lyris’ left while still making sure she had a clear view of Kore. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t it a beautiful day Nemmie?” Asked Lyris while blowing the seeds off of snow dandelions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Waving her hand in the air to cause the seeds to fly in a helter-skelter, “it is a nice day isn’t it?” Her lilac orbs looked up to Lyris’ aquamarine ones, waiting for her nod of affirmation to speak again. Lyris nodded while throwing pinches of white, fluffy dandelion seeds that fell near her feet into the air and blowing them further away from their spot under the maple. “But be honest, how are you really Lyris?” Anemone tried to convey a look of concern on her voice and face that was not too informal for an acquaintance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Aquamarine eyes widened in surprise at the teen nymph's bluntness and level of emotional intelligence. Lyris used her free hand, the one not supporting sleeping Oria, to tuck loose strands of her magenta locks behind her ears. Her eyes shyly shifted to the ground before she opened her mouth to speak, “physically I am great, I could not be in better health… But I often worry these days. I feel I need to look over my shoulders constantly. Not for me, but for Kore.” She let out a loud, drawn-out sigh. “The gods are selfish…” Her voice said in a final, gloomy declaration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With her teal eyes staring bleakly at the floating dandelion seeds, Anemone nodded her head in understanding. Though cryptic in her words, Anemone knew exactly what Lyris was talking about. The nymphs closest to Kore all worried deeply for the wasting goddess. It had been almost a year and a half since Kore was sealed away in that enchanted house of glass and her physical and emotional condition deteriorated greatly since. Demeter stressed for her daughter as well but would refuse to free her, instead choosing to project her frustrations out on any unlucky person that crossed paths with her at the wrong time. There had been talking of forcing Kore to join the goddesses of eternal maidenhood or give up her powers and take a job at her mother’s corporation, Barley Mother Corp. Other nymphs who aided in burying the dead almost hoped the goddess stayed locked in the cage. Some say Oria and Lyris were hoping to one day aid the goddess in an escape if given the chance. It seemed everyone had a plan for Kore’s future except the goddess of Spring herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glancing up at the arboretum, Kore was still curled in a tiny, pink ball with purple, crimson, and white anemones surrounding her body and entangling the bramble and butterfly weeds in her hair. Lyris jumped from her spot, waking Oria, and bolted to the glass walls and pounded against them. “Kore! Kore! It’s me… Please tell me you are alright. I am right here…” She yelled urgently. Anemones were never a good sign if they were growing around the body of a naiad, let alone a Spring goddess. The flower symbolizes sickness and feeling forsaken. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After helping groggy and confused Oria up from the ground, Anemone and Oria walked over to where Lyris was still standing and pounding anxiously on the glass for Kore’s reply. The goddess’ back faced the trio and her body was much more entangled with bramble, butterfly weeds, and anemones; but Oria swore Kore was not the same dark shade of magenta that she normally was. Her skin appeared to have taken more of a pale rose hue and lost it’s brilliant, godly glow. Instead, her integument and eyes now looked dull and ashen. The nymphs were not even sure if they could tell if Kore was breathing or not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We need to get in there…” Anemone finally suggested, seeing that knocking on the glass was not going to elicit any sort of response. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without hesitation, Oria turned around and ran towards the wheat fields where the goddess of grain would be at this time of day. Her body broke into a sprint and she began shrieking, “Demeter”, at the top of her lungs on repeat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have never seen a god get so ill…” Anemone murmured in disbelief to fill the stressful minutes until Demeter came to their aid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking her head in disgust, “leave it to Demeter to find a way.” Lyris said with a hint of venom on her tongue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In less than 30 seconds, a smog of ivy green smoke had materialized behind them and Demeter stepped out of the thick cloud. The verdant beauty held a tall, authoritative posture and an intimidating glare in her eyes that made the naiads on edge in her company. She wore a sage green, floor-length chiton that modestly covered her cleavage by tying around the neck like a choker. Her adamantine hair was in a half updo where the top was tied into a French braid then formed into a bun while the rest was left down in loose waves. Like most nature goddesses, Demeter was a nelipot and walked barefoot whenever possible. Shifting her eyes from the two concerned nymphs to her daughter laying pitifully in the arboretum, her eyes flickered from a calm violet to a bright lilac. Lyris and Anemone could feel their pulses rising and adrenaline pumping, knowing that the brightly colored irises were never a good omen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pushing between the two shaky naiads, Demeter strode over to the door of the glasshouse and placed one hand on the center of the door, causing the door’s edges to glow white and fade in a matter of seconds. She quickly yanked the door open and careened over to the pink ball on the mattress buried under plant life. Her attempts to wake her daughter started gently, removing the bramble and plucking away flowers while calling her name in a sweet voice. Then the mother of one’s demeanor morphed into a display of panic. Shaking her daughter’s body aggressively and yelling her name repeatedly, still triggering no response from the sleeping child. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By this time, Oria had run back to the group and had seen enough to know that Kore’s body was comatose if not lifeless. Her body still breathless and fatigued from the mile sprint, she tottered past the statuesque pair of nymphs who were bewildered at how even her mother could not get the goddess to wake. She knelt next to Demeter at the side of Kore’s mattress on the dirt floor of the arboretum and interrupted the mother’s frantic shaking of her daughter by moving the goddess’ hands aside. Before allowing Demeter to speak in detest, she grabbed Kore by her shoulder and hip and forced her to lay on her back. Once there, Oria crawled closer to her body and used her knuckles to dig into the goddess’ sternum and rub quick, uncomfortable circles, watching her face for a response. Though almost unnoticeable, Kore’s brows and mouth contorted to make a pained grimace in response to the sternal rub. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oria sat up letting out a sigh of relief, “Thank the gods she is not gone yet.” Her fingers raked through her fuchsia hair and rubbed her face as she muttered praises to the gods. Turning her head to look at Demeter, “I mean this from a place of concern my lady, all though she is still alive, Kore is clearly not well. She needs help. A god cannot live like this.” She urged in her most sweet, nurturing voice she could muster. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Violet orbs stared at the pale, pink face of Kore, deep in thought. Her green fingers were mindlessly combing through her daughter’s hair still pulling out the vegetation that was continuously growing. The mother felt pains of guilt seeing the butterfly weed, which symbolized being trapped or begging for freedom, and the anemones, which meant being ill and abandoned. The black, thorny bramble occasionally pricked and scratched at Demeter’s skin, she had a feeling this might have been her daughter’s intention, but nonetheless, she still continued to remove it from her daughter’s hair and form. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After what felt like an hour but was probably just several minutes, Demeter waved for the three nymphs to help her sit her daughter up in the bed. Lyris sat behind Kore, supporting the goddess in her lap while Anemone and Oria helped pull her into the position. Producing a small glass bottle of golden liquid from her bag, Demeter used one hand to tilt her daughter’s chin back slightly while the other coaxed the liquid to pour between her lips. Demeter poured slowly, watching the small gulps and pulling away for a few seconds when small coughs arose before resuming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The gods cannot solve all of their issues with ambrosia…” Lyris stammered timidly. “She might need to actually see Apollo or Asclepius, my lady…” The nymph was hesitant that the nectar of the gods would do anything for a goddess that was severely starved from suddenly losing worshippers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nearing the bottom of the bottle, “and we will see once we cross that bridge, Lyris. I am her mother, I too have her best interests at heart.” The goddess of agriculture groaned in annoyance at her nymph’s remark. Once Kore had taken her last gulp, Demeter gently lowered her chin and the nymphs waited till she had completely finished swallowing before laying her back onto the mattress. “I want you three to continue taking shifts watching over her. Since she is now not responding, just clean her up so she cannot argue once awake. Let me know once she does open her eyes.” She ordered before her body dissipated into emerald smoke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well welcome to team Kore.” Oria’s vibrant raspberry-colored eyes met with Anemone’s teal ones whilst she let out a loud, exhausted sigh, trying to show her frustration for the situation but still trying to keep a light mood. “I can help Lyris clean up all of these plants and dirt on the mattress if you want to get supplies ready for a sponge bath and clothing change?” Queuing Anemone on what her first task was being Kore’s new caregiver. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three were able to clean the unconscious goddess and get her a new change of clothes in record time with the extra hand. By the time they had finished, it was already around lunchtime and the trio settled back under the maple. Lyris ran and brought a basket of produce for them to enjoy for their midafternoon meal. Leaning against the side of the tree trunk with the best view of Kore’s sleeping form, Anemone caught a pomegranate Lyris tossed in her direction. Oria reached into the basket for a handful of raspberries and blackberries while Lyris was eating some mushrooms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have never seen a flower nymph eat something that was not a piece of fruit or a flower for a meal ever, let alone mushrooms.” Anemone observed, tilting her head sideways at the mushrooms in Lyris’ hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A loud snort came from Oria’s direction as the nymph tried not to spit out her food in a fit of laughter. She held up a finger and slowly forced herself to swallow the berries in her mouth. Lyris rolled her eyes at her friend’s dramatic response and Anemone was perplexed by the reaction. “She has always been like that.” The mostly berry-toned naiad explained between giggles. “Unlike other nymphs, she will eat anything. I will sometimes see her eating an onion like an apple.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my…” Anemone’s eyes widened in surprise, still staring at Lyris, who was slightly annoyed by her eating habits taking the spotlight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess I just don’t know how to nymph.” Lyris sarcastically shrugged, popping another mushroom in her mouth causing her friends to chuckle even louder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the day aged on and the sunset was turning to dusk, the group decided that Lyris would take the first third of the night and Oria would break her at 0200. Leaving Anemone to wake at her normal, early time to break Oria at 0500. Lyris wrapped herself in a thin, white sheet and laid up against the side of the arboretum’s glass walls so Kore was still in her periphery. The ring of floricide was still surrounding the structure but it did not take away from the beauty of the night. Although the disseminating moon is small, it’s light was brilliant enough to aid the naiad in visualizing trees and the nocturnal wildlife in the darkness. Fireflies also encouraged a certain amount of light to present around the glasshouse as they floated carelessly in the air. The sound of chirping crickets and singing cicadas was enough to keep Lyris awake and concentrating on her task, her aquamarine irises switching between the constellations in the night sky and the dreaming cerise, goddess.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “Kore,” Lyris felt she might be going crazy trying to have a conversation with her unconscious friend. However, something in Lyris’ heart ached to talk with her friend again, even if she couldn’t talk back. “See that constellation up there.” She pointed to a group of stars shining brilliantly to the east just above a line of evergreen trees. “That is Orion. Did I ever tell you what happened to him?” There was a pause where she stopped to look for any response in Kore’s face, but it was still emotionless and relaxed in slumber. “Some say he died due to an epic battle with a scorpion and it caught the attention of Zeus, who decided to have them both stellified into constellations; but I think that is just a cover story.” Shifting her hips so her face could see Kore’s better, “What I know happened was Orion and Artemis hunted frequently and were falling in love. Being that Artemis’ whole reputation is summed as a virgin maiden, her twin brother, Apollo, stepped in.” Lyris said the god of the sun’s name with disgust. “While Orion was swimming in a lake late at night, Apollo told Artemis that a man raped one of her priestesses and is trying to escape by swimming away. Without a second thought, Artemis shot Orion from shore with one of her arrows…” She paused dramatically like every good storyteller does when someone dies when telling a tale. “In her grief, she begged Zeus to make him immortal since she had shot an innocent man. But Hades will never allow the dead to resurrect and Zeus could only do a constellation at best. So every night, the goddess of the moon and nocturnal hunt sees his image among the stars and remembers who her only love might just be.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Lyris could imagine finishing that story in one of Demeter’s temples, her, Oria, and Kore tucked around a bonfire snacking on berries. The supreme storyteller, Oria, would probably complain about not telling a tale tragic or scary enough for her tastes. She grinned to herself thinking of how Kore would express how much she pitied Artemis’ heartbreak and that Apollo was such a jerk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “She still has not awoken yet.” Demeter sighed, looking at Lyris for a response. The mother had changed into her lavender, floor-length nightgown had a semi-modest scoop neck, and featured long, bat-wing sleeves. Her hair was tied into a long, French braid that stopped in the middle of her back. Though it had to be past midnight by now, she still wore a thin, golden diadem that went across her forehead, encircling her entire cranium. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Startled by her sudden appearance and being pulled from her deep thoughts, Lyris took a minute before opening her mouth. “No ma’am. I would suggest she seek help by dawn if she has not improved by then.” She avoided eye contact, staring at the folds of the lavender nightgown instead anxiously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Demeter’s eyes briefly flickered their bright lavender color at Lyris’ audacity to make recommendations about her daughter, but she calmed herself knowing that Lyris was just as concerned for Kore as her. The goddess of agriculture gave an affirming nod and made an ‘mmm’ sound as if she were considering the suggestion. “Noted.” She muttered before using her magic to unlock the glass door of the arboretum and allowing herself to step inside. “I will be visiting with my daughter. You can stay at your post or take your leave if you wish.” Kore was still laying on her back on the mattress. Demeter laid on the edge of the bed closest to the exit and scooted herself closer to her daughter, pulling Kore’s body into her embrace as she situated herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Choosing to allow the two to have more privacy, Lyris moved her campsite into the maple tree. She laid on one of the thicker branches, balancing her body so she laid perfectly still while having a clear view of the two goddesses. Although she was further away now, the door to the house of glass was still wide open allowing Lyris to hear Demeter speaking to her daughter’s unconscious body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “Kore… my love… I am so sorry it is my fault you are like this. We need to still find a way to keep your powers controlled but if you wake up from this, I will give you more freedom. Allow you some breaks from this damned greenhouse, let you go play in the fields with the nymphs, maybe you can even meet some of the other goddesses…” Lyris thought she could hear some sniffles from Demeter while she watched her hug the little goddess tightly, her emerald face tucked into the crook of Kore’s neck. “A part of me could not believe my child was just so powerful… and another part of me feared that I would lose you…” Demeter began to hum what sounded like lullabies into her daughter’s ear. From her spot on the tree, Lyris laid there watching and listening silently to the melody of a heartbroken mother, trying to keep her eyes void of any tears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Once Oria came to relieve Lyris at 0200, Demeter had stopped humming and was asleep, still continuing to hold her daughter in a tight embrace. Lyris saw Oria searching for her on the ground and slid down from the tree’s trunk, letting out a loud yawn once she hit the grass. “Good morning, Oria.” Lyris gave her a tired smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Still in her white, loosely fitting nightgown and messy bun, Oria studied the two goddesses in the arboretum with a muddled look on her face. As if she was struggling to still connect wires in her brain from having to wake up so early in the night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “Demeter came in the middle of the night and had a mini-breakdown with Kore.” Lyris calmly explained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Raising her head and giving an ‘ah’ in understanding, Oria rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked back at the pair again. “Was that breakdown before or after our sleeping beauty woke up?” She inquired curiously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           “What do you mean, Oria?” Lyris raised her brow and stared at Oria. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was she still that tired? Maybe sleepwalking?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           Pointing a pink index finger in Kore’s direction, “Kore’s eyes are open, Lyris, look.” Oria excitedly pulled them closer to the glass walls of the greenhouse, viewing the two goddesses like they were an exhibit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>           By the gods' miracle, stuck in her mother’s embrace and searching for a way to exit the tight grasp without waking Demeter was Kore. Her magenta irises met her friends’ gazes and she shared an expression on her face that said, ‘Don’t you dare wake up my jailor’, her eyes flashing to the open door. Both of her friends silently chuckled to themselves. The first thing Kore does when she wakes up is to look for another escape route. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lyris and Oria watched in amusement at Kore attempting to shuffle herself out of Demeter’s hold. Kore would make progress, snaking her way down towards the bottom end of the bed, before her mother would adjust her grip on her daughter in her sleep. Pulling Kore back up to where she started at the top of the mattress and hugging her even tighter if that was even physically possible. The two nymphs watched this cycle circulate several times before Kore folded her arms and wore a look of resignation that made them struggle to hold back their snickers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure you do not want our help?” Lyris whispered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kore rolled her eyes, still very frustrated that she had awoken even more trapped than before, but reluctantly nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once given the okay, Lyris walked into the greenhouse and knelt down next to Demeter’s sleeping face. She sectioned a small lock of pink hair from the front of her head and brought it close to the verdant goddess’ face. Being sure to use only a feather-light touch, she tickled Demeter’s nose with the piece of hair. In response, Demeter grunted in her sleep and removed the arm that ran across Kore’s chest to scratch her nose. But before Kore could slide out, Demeter place her arm back across Kore’s chest and interlocked her fingers. From behind Lyris, Oria could be heard trying to restrain a fit of laughter. Lyris shook her head and repeated the process, tickling an emerald cheek next. This time, Kore was able to slide halfway down the bed before Demeter’s arm returned, noticing her daughter’s shift in the bed, and sleepily pulling her back up into her embrace again. Hoping that the third time is the charm, Lyris used her lock of hair to tickle Demeter’s forehead, being sure to continue to tickle until she covered her face with her green hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing that Demeter’s hand staying on her face, Kore scooted as fast as she could down to the bottom edge of the mattress. Lyris tiptoed to the end of the bed and pulled Kore up, grabbing the little goddess by the wrists. From outside of the arboretum, Oria was hopping in excitement and whispering on repeat, “let’s go, let’s go!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a huge smile plastered on her face, Kore grabbed Lyris by the hand a stepped swiftly out of the house of glass. Being sure to grab Oria’s hand while skulking out into the night, the trio ran around to the front of the house and raced into the fields of wildflowers. Once far away from the houses and where the nymphs were likely to be sleeping, Kore jumped and twirled around in the flowers, cheering and giggling. “I missed all of this.” She yelled, her voice vibrating from fits of gleeful giggles. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I had fun writing it. Do not forget to give me any ideas for possible fluffy one-shot ideas!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Time Doesn't Heal Right Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hi all. Vendetta is back. I am sorry for how long it has been. As some of you know, I am a nurse who is also in nursing school. I contracted covid during the semester and had to play the biggest game of catch up in my life to pass the semester and pay bills (not all nurse employers pay hero pay or pay their employees sick leave for contracting covid at work). Now that I finally am in a position to breathe a little, I will resume posting chapters.<br/>We will be talking about my all-time favorite Greek god so I want to do him justice when writing these chapters when capturing his character. I hope you learn to love Hades as much as I do.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While above-ground a young goddess was feeling the night-tide winds of the mortal realm on her immortal skin for the first time in months, dancing in the grass and entangled in wildflowers with her beloved nymph sisters, deep in the ground below her feet, another immortal was feeling the invisible walls close in around him as he slept. <br/>
 A boy, not even tall enough to climb over fallen logs in the woods, ran through a scattered copse of trees towards a deiform woman with dark magenta skin, hair, and eyes. The captivating titan noticed the small, sapphire form running in her direction, she condensed her size, allowing herself to be no taller than eight feet. She checked to make sure her clothes and the flowers in her hair’s chignon shrunk with her, by the time she looked up, her son with sapphire skin, crimson eyes, and silvery-white hair was crashing into her form and wrapping his arms around her waist. <br/>
 Using her rosy fingers to comb through his ear-length, messy hair, “How is my handsome Aidoneus today?” Her eyes conveyed nothing but unconditional love to her son, even when his skin had brief moments where it would flicker to its natural form matching his tyrant father’s skin. <br/>
 Clutching his tiny hands into fists and staring at the ground shyly, seeing his arms shutter between his azure glamour and his natural, stelliferous skin that featured blue, silvery nebulas contrasting against the midnight background. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his anxiety so he could maintain his false hue. Just like he and his mother had practiced. “I made you something, mommy.” He muttered once he finished three deep breaths. <br/>
 “I am sure it is just as beautiful as you are, my love.” She knelt down closer to him, wrapping her right arm around his shoulder and kissing his cheek. His eyes shifted from crimson to a ruby hue and he showed a small smile with a nervous look in his eyes. He brought both of his closed fists into view and opened them. In his left hand was a necklace that held a raw emerald, sapphire, amethyst, topaz, citrine, and peridot all held together by weaves of dark leather. In the other was a bracelet with nine raw rubies also held together in braids of ebony leather. “My goodness Aidoneus,” His mother gasped while trying on the necklace and bracelet, “Your powers are growing… These are beautiful… I can only imagine what beauty your powers will grace this earth as you grow older.” She lifted her son into her arms and held him into an embrace, Aidoneus wrapping his legs around her waist. They spent a few moments of blissful silence in each other’s arms. Aidoneus tucked his head into the crook of his mother’s neck and closed his eyes, trying to allow his mind to relax. <br/>
But his mind could not relax, he was never able to relax, constantly needing to keep his head on a swivel from a young age. This was the knowledge that Hades knew, not young Aidoneus. He loved his mother, but he feared the dark entity that loomed over her shoulder, waiting for his chance at filicide. That was something both Hades and Aidoneus would always fear. <br/>
“Mama… why does father want me dead…” Aidoneus’ child voice shook in a whisper while he shuddered with dread. There was no response, just deafening silence that only made the hairs on the child god’s skin stand up. The background noise of the forest had been muted it seemed. No birds sang and the soft, continuous hums of the rustling leaves and trickling water were inexplicably absent. After those drawn-out seconds of insufferable silence, he saw a mass of black reach from above his head and wrap its entire umbral curtain around him, making Aidoneus claustrophobic as the inky walls laid close against his skin. “Mama!” He screamed as loud as he could, hoping the sound of his voice could be heard beyond the confines of this abyss. His throat burned and felt tight from the wails for his mother and his attempts to fight back the tears brimming inside of him. <br/>
Flecks and streaks of white, blue, and silvery luminescence were becoming more noticeable on the shadowy walls surrounding Aidoneus’ body. An image of a violet nebula further illuminated the inside of the enclosure and highlighted the tears on the sapphire boy’s face. The vibrant colors before him were an indication of where he was, he had the same celestial skin too, and everyone dreaded the sight of it for one good reason. The boy’s heart dropped into his stomach realizing he was in the clutches of his father. <br/>
Other six-year-olds might have reacted differently at the moment. Possibly try to squeeze through the crevasses of the beast of prey's large claws. Maybe scream some more, bite his shadowy skin, do anything to fight for survival. But in those moments, time moved in slow motion for Aidoneus. He could hear his heartbeat loudly against his eardrums, adding to his accelerated blood pressure and muffling the screams of his mother in the distance. As his father’s grip loosened around his body and the large inky claws scooped him up by his plain, tan toga, Aidoneus’ crimson irises met his mother’s magenta orbs one last time. Both of them exchanged a look of hopeless terror, tears rolling ferociously from his mother’s eyes as she heard her son yell, “Mama,” one last time as her husband dropped her firstborn son into his mouth and quickly swallowed. </p><hr/>
<p><br/>
Hades woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air, and immediately forced himself into a sitting up position in the bed up against the grey linen upholstered headboard. Hugging his lengthy legs close to his chest, he attempted to calm his panic using the measured breathing exercises his therapist had taught him, forcing his diaphragm to inhale slowly and exhale longer. <br/>
Three raven-furred heads laid themselves at their master’s feet and whimpered in concern. The towser’s dark eyes glinted adorably with the starlight coming from the window nearby that only further enhanced Cerberus’ look of concern, making the god of the dead’s heart melt even more. Hades smiled down at his oldest companion and gave the rightmost head some ear scratches, “It’s alright Cerberus, just another dream.” He assured in a quiet voice, trying not to wake too many of the other dogs that were piled in the bed or asleep somewhere else in the room. <br/>
The dimmed glow from his phone indicated that it was only midnight but the azure god wanted as much sleep as possible since his brothers would be dragging him to the club this weekend. Only the fates would know what trouble his younger brothers would drag him into. Hades had run out of fingers to count on for how many establishments they had been banned from due to their shenanigans. <br/>
Careful not to disturb the mass of dogs snoring on his bed, Hades stepped out of bed and tiptoed into his master bathroom. Wetting a washcloth with steaming hot water, the god scrubbed the cold sweat off of his sapphire skin and splashed some of the excessively hot water onto his face and hair. There was something soothing about feeling the burning heat of the water rapidly shift into a cold chill as the liquid would evaporate off of his skin. Allowing his skin to air dry, he gently towel-dried his snowy hair and opened his medicine cabinet, his eyes searching for a sleep aid that would hopefully keep him asleep until his 0600 alarm. His insomnia and reoccurring night terrors had led him to procure a wide selection of hypnotics, sedatives, and some herbal mixes from Hecate. Finding a pharmaceutical combination he liked, he swallowed the cocktail of medications, chasing them down with a tall glass of water, and crept back to bed. He forced his eyes to stay shut and counted his breaths mindlessly until he drifted back into that eerie dream state.</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
Beings always use the verbiage ‘fall’ or ‘drift’ to describe the sinking feeling that accompanies being taken by Hypnos’ spell. Hades felt his body phase through the mattress, as if he were a shade himself, and plummet into a dark abyss into nothingness. The more sleep took him, the further and the faster he fell and the blacker his surroundings were. <br/>
At the end of the darkened void, Aidoneus’ six-year-old body made contact with a hot, substance that burned his skin surface. Keeping his eyes and mouth closed, he let out a pained hiss in the back of his throat in response to the acidic liquid scorching his flesh. He forced himself to hold back his tears, worried that the substance might find a way in his eyes. With his skin burning so much, he could hardly move his arms or legs without his hardened, chemically burnt skin tearing, creating an open wound for the acid to seep into. There was also his inability for him to open his eyes without him risking the solution burning his corneas. <br/>
Feeling helpless, he allowed his body to fall deeper into the depths of the corrosive liquid. Knowing he would likely cause more cuts to form on his body if he tried to swim, he allowed himself to sink deeper. Pulling his knees to his chest and allowing his head to lean forward, he tried to find comfort in holding himself in the fetal position, hoping it might make the loneliness of being in his father’s digestive system less apparent. The gods did not need to eat. The gods did not need to breathe. Those were just choices of comfort. All Aidoneus wanted was to see or hear his mother’s voice again. He wanted to let her know he was still alive. His heart ached to tell her that he missed her. <br/>
<span class="u"><strong>13 years later…</strong></span><br/>
Immortality had become a curse for Aidoneus by the age of 19. His body still bathed in the corrosive substance within his father’s stomach and the young god had not had so much as a breath of air, a morsel of food, or a drop of water in that time for fear the acid would seep inside and burn his innards. His integument to the brunt of the burning instead. Due to the immortal healing abilities of gods, his skin was in a continuous state of burning and healing. His hair was very long, although it was brittle from exposure to the stomach’s contents. His chest and abdomen were in constant pain from lack of food and oxygen, gods did not need these things, but it was comfortable to have a full stomach and lungs that were not begging him for air. There was no more bone or muscular pain from continuously being in the fetal position, his body finally accepted this as his new resting position after many years of protest and adjusting with growth spurts. <br/>
At this point, Aidoneus did not worry about survival. Being trapped in the depths of his father’s abdomen for over a decade made him wish he were dead. It seemed almost sad that a god would envy humans at a time like this. He resented being immortal. The only things close to him now were the shadows in the deep depths of the gastric organ and his thoughts, which only grew louder and sorrowful with time. <em>How long has it been?... I hope mom is okay… Did everyone forget about me?... Did mom even want me?...</em> Aidoneus could ignore the reality of his surroundings. He had been doing that for 13 years by keeping his eyes shut and drawing his attention to something else. However, his attention would always redirect to his thoughts and there was no escaping the subfuscous voices in his head.</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
It was another day. The sapphire/celestial-skinned god floated aimlessly in the corrosive, amber substance within his tyrant father’s gastric walls. Then the unexpected happened, a flash of heat pushed against one side of his skin like he was hit by a wave of acid. This was not like when Kronos was eating, those waves were not one-directional, he would feel small waves hit him from all sides. The same sensation hit him again from the same direction. Were his father’s abdominal walls contracting? Waves pressed against the young god a few more times.<br/>
Suddenly, Aidoneus could feel the stomach walls close in and push all of its contents, including himself, into the esophagus. He continued to keep his eyes and mouth closed until he could feel what he was sure was the wet, fuzzy texture of a tongue and something smooth that was shaped like a molar tooth. Then he did his best to wipe any stomach acid from his face and eyes and attempted to open his eyes for the first time in several years. The light was far too bright to tolerate seeing and there was too much saliva and other contents in the mouth to feel safe opening his eyes. Confident he could just run his way out of the mouth and open his eyes after, he did a half run and half crawl (due to slipping on a moving tongue) to the front of the mouth. There was some yelling he could hear outside of the titan’s mouth, male voices he had never heard before, but they were calling for his name. Had he never been forgotten after all?<br/>
The unfamiliar voices grew louder as he approached the orifice of the mouth. With his eyes still closed, he clambered over the teeth while wiping his eyes to have some vision of his surroundings. At first, he flinched at the bright light while still continuing to climb. But once his eyes were acclimated and his body was crossing over the threshold between the world and the inside of this tyrant’s mouth, a sickening, audible crunch made the azure god’s skin flicker between its costume shade and the night’s sky. Time suddenly moved in slow motion and sound became muffled for the eldest son of Kronos. The god had already spent over a decade being in pain and he was now pumped full of adrenaline and anxiety that the pain had not registered immediately. A second, gut-wrenching crunch that clearly sounded like the snapping of bones echoed through what Aidoneus could only guess to be his father’s throne room. <br/>
He looked around for the source of the sound. Two gods appearing to be around his age, one emerald-skinned and one violet-skinned stood in sheer horror in front of the tyrant king. The violet one quickly snapped from his trance and began to scale the titan’s body, leaving the green one to fall to his knees and cover his face, shaking in anxious tremors. It was then Aidoneus realized he must be the crunching sound. Too scared to look back to see what was happening to his body, tears welled in his eyes and he tried to crawl out faster. Now the pain was registering and he could not feel the lower half of his body. With every breath, he felt a piece of broken rib poke at a lobe of his lung. He coughed and ichor dripped from his mouth, the metallic taste reminded him of bronze or copper. Kronos’ tongue moved to pull his body further into his mouth, no longer poking out from between his lips. <br/>
“No, you don’t!” Someone yelled from outside of the titan’s mouth. <br/>
A thundering noise followed by a snap and Kronos opening his mouth to yelp and raise his hands to cover his mouth and nose. Before he could cover his mouth though, the violaceous deity slid into his mouth and passed his teeth with ease. Both gods met eyes and the violet one quickly pulled Aidoneus and his severed arm and leg away from the teeth. Aidoneus opened his mouth to ask if this guy was nuts but only air seemed to pass through like a whistle. Over a decade of being unable to use his vocal cords had made him mute. <br/>
Ignoring the strange whistling noises coming from Aidoneus, the other deity raced to the back of the throat. Finding the uvula, the god began to use it as a punching bag, further confusing Aidoneus. <em>Did this lunatic just come in here to fuck around in a tyrant's mouth?</em> Aidoneus was about to find a way to interject on this psychos fun when powerful gagging soundwaves vibrated from the back of his father’s throat. The plum toned god having a seemingly satisfied look on his face, flew over to Aidoneus and gathered him and his two limbs, and carried him princess style whilst still floating in the air to the front of the mouth. Less than a second later, Kronos was forced to open his mouth to vomit again and the two gods escaped the titan’s oral cavity. They met the verdant god who was now hiding behind a 50-foot plant pot on the ground of the throne room. <br/>
“Poseidon grab on to my arm.” The violet god ordered while still carrying Aidoneus. <br/>
“Gods, Aidoneus…” The green one looked at him with both concern and horror, his body was still shivering with anxiety. <br/>
“He is a god. He will be fine. You are also injured, so let’s go.” The other god hissed at Poseidon, prompting the forest green god to grab onto an open space on his forearm. Aidoneus’ eyes widened in amazement as he watched their bodies dissolve into purple stardust until it was nothing but fine powder blowing in the evening air. The last thing the three heard was his father still gagging and yelling indiscernible words of revenge. That was the start to what would be the 10-year Titanomancy. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is a shorter chapter. But it cuts off best here and I am posting more today ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Why They Call Me Hades: Part I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The transformation of Aidoneus into Hades. Starting with the Titanomachy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Now as a man, more than tall enough to step over a fallen log, he walked through the same set of widely scattered trees he used to play in all those years ago. Only now he stood at 6’6”, wearing black armor that matched the black helm of darkness gifted to him by his cyclops relative. His hair was tied into a tight bun at the nape of his neck to stay out of his face while wearing his metal cap and his heather grey chiton was stained with his sweat and ichor from walking in the woods all afternoon. With every uncalculated turn of his body, his delicate skin tore open and ichor spilled from the open cut, one of the many wounds from being in his father’s stomach. His skin was extremely delicate and tore open easily. He had also struggled with a stutter and involuntary mutism since he never spoke while floating inside stomach acid for thirteen years but had slowly improved. His vocal cords would falter if he tried to speak more than what they were physically capable of.</p>
<p>The trees and green grass were just as Aidoneus had remembered it being. Pomelias seemed to grow in every nook and cranny where there was sunlight breaking through the tree branches onto the forest floor.  The sapphire god even saw small remnants of his pet rocks and stick dolls under one fir tree. Most would have felt a warm sense of nostalgia seeing old childhood memories but Aidoneus could not help but feel even more anxious, keeping one hand on the handle of his bident while his eyes continuously scanned around him. He only felt more paranoid being back in this spot. This was the last spot he had seen his mother before his father swallowed him whole after all.</p>
<p>Suddenly, he heard the sounds of twigs snapping in different directions all around him. He tried to follow the sound with his eyes and ears, hoping to get a glimpse of who or what was making the sound. They seemed to be getting closer to where the god was standing. Aidoneus changed his posture to stand in a more defensive position with his bident in one hand and his obsidian shield resting on the forearm of his other arm. The steps now seemed to be audibly charging right for him. Prompting him to raise his shield in that direction and prepare himself for impact. However, once the footsteps sounded like they were going to break beyond the tree’s cover, the noise stopped and nothing showed itself. After waiting a few moments for the impact that never came, Aidoneus peeked his scarlet eyes over his shield to see if he was missing something, and just below his view, hiding behind his shield was a golden goddess with aquamarine irises smiling up at him.</p>
<p>“I thought it was your job to sneak up on people, not the other way around, oh unseen one.” The goddess teased with a raised blonde eyebrow.</p>
<p>Rolling his vermillion orbs and hiding the small grin on his face, he relaxed his posture and put his bident back in the holster on his back. “Y-you know I don’t-t c-care for that n-n-nick-kname, Hera.” He groaned. “W-what is a b-beautiful goddess-s doing alone in the dang-gerous woods m-might I ask?” He replied back with a hint of playfulness in his voice.</p>
<p>“Why would I worry about such a thing when I have you here to protect me.” She stuck her tongue out at him and gave him a small smile. Her waist-length blonde hair glowed brighter than the sun when it swished in the wind as she sped walked barefoot to keep up with Aidoneus’ long legs. Aidoneus was always captivated by the vibrant turquoise, blues, and violets the goddess would dye her dresses to match the color of the peacock feathers she braided into her hair.</p>
<p>Rolling his eyes at her slanted response, “That s-still does n-not exp-plain w-why you are out-t here, Hera? I though-ht-t you-u prom-mised Z-Zeus you w-would sta-ay at the cam-mp? What-t if you or-r the b-bab-by g-gets h-hurt?” Aidoneus queried, pausing between questions to allow his vocal cords a break. Conveying a look of concern on his face while subtly shifting the direction they were walking to be in the direction of the camp, hoping she would not notice too soon.</p>
<p>“Aidon…” She groaned his nickname out into a long, loud, growl, “I may be pregnant with that purple asshole’s child, but I will be damned if that forces me to be sitting on my ass all day.” Hera’s eyes held a stern expression and her hands balled into fists, reminding her to contain her rage. Aidoneus knew that her anger would only build to be released onto his youngest brother some time in the late evening, he just hoped that tonight they would be quiet enough to let the rest of the camp sleep. How Hera and Zeus became engaged and were still a couple was a mystery to the sapphire deity.  </p>
<p>His vermillion irises were still in thought, eyes locked on the vibrant indigo, dip-dyed sleeves of her robe, of how to respond to Hera’s inconsideration for her own safety when some of her saffron wrist revealed just enough to show a dark orange bruise. The impressionistic shape of the marks was clear enough for the young god to tell that they were shaped like fingers grabbing at her wrist. Swiftly, but still, gently, Aidoneus stopped their stroll through the woods and reached for her uninjured arm to spin her around to face him.</p>
<p>Those aquamarine eyes were wide with bewilderment and then shifted to a pitiful, yet unreadable expression when Aidoneus pulled up her sleeve and pointed out the bruised wrist. “Is s-someone h-hurt-ting you-u?” He asked carefully, his eyes pleading with her to talk to him.</p>
<p>Hera dropped her gaze down to the ground. It had been at least a moon ago since Zeus forced her in broad daylight to claim her as his and still the damn bruises were not healing fast enough. Probably because she was pregnant with his child. <em>Marry him</em>, she remembered telling herself, <em>then no one would know how the fiercely independent Hera was raped and claimed by Zeus</em>. She bit a thin piece of the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying or showing any emotion while looking at the god she once loved in the eyes and tugging down the sleeve of her robe to cover up the bruise again. “No worries, Rhea says it may just be anemia from the pregnancy. I will have to eat more protein, I guess.” She faked a small smile and began to walk again, forcing him to join and subtly steer them.</p>
<p>“I had a vision of you last night.” Her grin was now genuine, half wanting to really share this with Aidoneus and half hoping this will help to change the subject.</p>
<p>Noticing her quick change in subject, Aidoneus took the hint to drop the conversation but decided to watch Hera more closely from a distance. “Oh? Do I w-want to kn-now? Somet-times-s h-having an int-tuition-n to an-nother time c-can be a b-bad t-thing…” Flashing her a teasing grin.</p>
<p>Rolling her eyes at his playfulness and silencing a chuckle, “This is a good one! You will like it, you giant blueberry!” She leaned into him, pointing a finger into his chest. The subtle warmth of his black, iron armor giving her an indication of how long he had been marching around in the hot sun in his metal suit.</p>
<p>Placing his hand to his chest and gasping in a loud, dramatic way that only made Hera want to name call him some more. “A b-blueb-berry?! Why I n-never heard-d such an in-nsult!” He quipped in such a voice that one would think that the true diva of the group, Demeter, was the one speaking.</p>
<p>Unable to hold back her laughter any longer, she leaned into him and grabbed his large, muscular bicep that was closest to her, gripping him tightly while she broke out in uncontrollable laughter. “Shut… Up… You… Dork.” She wheezed between giggles.</p>
<p>They had stopped walking again and Aidoneus was staring at the brilliantly colored goddess with his curiosity piqued. <em>Was it really that funny?</em> He wondered. The heart of the azure god was still healing from Hera’s rejection. Choosing his brother over him hurt him immensely but he somehow had a premonition it would happen. Regardless, he might not have her heart but he was still glad he could make her smile like this.</p>
<p>After a few moments, they started walking again and Hera collected herself. “Anyways, before being interrupted,” she spoke in a teasing manner, her ocean eyes twinkling with excitement now. “I was going to tell you about my vision of you.” Her right hand dug into the pocket of her sky-blue dress, she seemed to be fishing for something small since it took a moment of searching. Once she found it, she kept it hidden, enclosed in her right fist as she spoke. “After this war, you know we will all be given jobs and will have to go our separate ways…”</p>
<p>Their camp was appearing into view from what glimpses Aidoneus could see between the trees. The bonfire was lit with Hestia roasting meat and produce for dinner, other nymphs, daimons, and allied titans were wandering around the campsite or waiting for their meal around the campfire. If Hera noticed they were nearing the camp again, she did not make a fuss about it. She only waited for Aidoneus’ reply. “Y-yeah, I know-w…” He said calmly.</p>
<p>By this point they had now broken through the tree line and were on the outskirts of the camp. Hera reached for his hand and placed what felt like a tiny piece of a fragile rock into Aidoneus’ cerulean palm and pushed his fingers to close around it, keeping him from looking at it right away. Keeping her golden hand over his clutched hand to cover the item. “I made that this morning with some clay from the river because I was not sure how to describe my vision without it sounding horrific, because it was not.” She reassured. “You must really love dogs, don’t you?” She did not need to see his face or hear him speak to know it was true, she saw it all in a vision. “When all this is over and we all go our separate ways, we might not be able to see each other as much. We will try but it will be hard… This big guy might look scary but he will be there when we are not.” Removing her hand from his fist, she watched him closely as he inspected the small figurine she had formed from black clay.</p>
<p>“I do n-not want to insult-t y-your art-t sk-kills, Bunny, b-but are y-you say-aying this is a g-giant d-dog with t-three h-heads?” Aidoneus attempted to phrase his question as politely as possible while rotating the piece carefully with his fingers. The sculpture was the size of an olive and was shaped to look like a Doberman pincher or rottweiler-type dog with three heads and a long, straight tail.</p>
<p>“Hey! I will have you know that it looks exactly as I visualized the creature and yes, it has three heads and is all black.” Hera clipped, trying not to laugh at Aidoneus’ perplexed face. Watching his face study the figurine and seemingly search for some hidden meaning, Hera placed a hand over the figurine to get his attention and spoke again. “Aidoneus, it is just a vision and a message for you to know that one day you will have other friends. No matter how scary they might look.” Her voice tried to convey a soothing tone. Climbing onto her tippy toes, she gave the sapphire god a small peck on his right cheek. “Thank you for walking me back to camp, now let’s go get some food before Rhea lectures me to eat more.” Linking her small arm into his, she pulled him in the direction of the bonfire pit and started waving to other campers she recognized to come to join them.</p>
<p>Not long after they left the tree line, the large, concord frame of Zeus stepped out of the woods, glaring daggers at the sight of Aidoneus and Hera so close together. He had not heard any word of their conversation but he saw them touching hands, the way they looked at each other, and how his bride-to-be had kissed his eldest brother on the cheek. It took every ounce of his patience and recalling what his mother had taught him to control his influences on the weather when he was enraged.</p>
<hr/>
<p>            On this night, Selene had made the moon broch contrast brightly against the black of Nyx’s night so much so that it glowed beyond the clouds that framed close to it’s circumference, illuminating the campsite enough that one could navigate the trails without a torch or the use of their powers. It was so silent a pin could drop and Aidoneus would have noticed. The eldest god of the six found it strange not to hear the wind rustling the trees, the silent whispering of other people in the camp, or that Hera and Zeus appeared to have gone one night without a squabble. He was not one to complain about some peace and quiet, on the contrary, he would have welcomed it. However, there was a bit of uneasiness that accompanied this quiet. Maybe it was how the clouds surrounding the moon always symbolized a bad omen or an impending storm. Or maybe it was just his intuition.</p>
<p>            Shaking off the anxiety that seemed to accompany overanalyzing the eeriness of the twilight, the god carefully maneuvered his body down to the floor of his tent, taking time to move gently as to not tear any of his skin. Once on his side he log rolled onto his back and tugged the blanket over his large form. Finally feeling comfortable and tranquilized by the mysterious hush of the midnight, Aidoneus allowed himself to drift off into sleep, feeling himself fall deeper into the hazy abyss of Morpheus.</p>
<p>            Not long after Hypnos claimed the sapphire god, he was ripped away from his dreams by a force grabbing him by his chiton and pushing him against the wall to his right, forcing him to sit up. In a panicked state that accompanies being ripped away from one’s dream, Aidoneus quickly used his arms to push the person away from him and tried to kick his feet against the ground of the tent, in hopes of creating distance. He could feel his fragile skin tearing from his quick movements in his arms, back and legs, the sticky feeling of coagulated ichor stuck to his skin, his clothes, and the floor of the tent. After scooting away from the attacker a few paces, Aidoneus conjured a ball of blue flames in his right hand to light the room and provide himself some defense.</p>
<p>            A few paces from Aidoneus stood a violet-colored, male figure in a stance ready to deflect Aidoneus’ flame. “Z-Zeus-s…” Aidoneus groaned out in an exhausted hiss. “W-what th-he a-actual fuck.” He relaxed his posture and reduced the flame to a small flicker of teal flame on his pointer finger. The ichor on his body was now scabbed over and left a troublesome crispy feeling on his skin where it had dripped or smeared onto, which the azure ember allowed his younger brother to see.</p>
<p>            Studying the mess of ichor that had been made all over the room and on his brother’s body, the god realized he was probably now in the wrong, as per usual. Unlike his siblings, the youngest brother of three had grown up on an island with nymphs who did everything he asked. They fed him, cleaned him, had sex with him, basically anything he wanted with no punishment. Zeus had never known what an apology was or why they were necessary until he freed his brothers and met the daughters of Metis, and he hated the concept. In his mind it was the equivalent of admitting you were wrong. A huge blow to his pride. Rolling his amethyst irises like he always did when he realized he had to apologize for something, “I should have woken you up in a less upsetting way, brother, but we need to talk.”</p>
<p>            “C-could this have n-not w-waited t-till m-m-morn-ning? I was as-sleep y-you kn-now?” Aidoneus rested his head in his left hand while his elbow stood propped on his knee. Zeus shook his head firmly and kept his look stern, which caught his brother’s attention. Zeus was never stern. “A-alright, alrigh-ht.” Aidoneus sighed, still tired from being pulled from his slumber. With his right pointer finger still alight, he flicked his finger towards the lantern hanging on the wall by the front entrance of the tent. A turquoise fire bloomed inside the lantern and the room glowed a light blue hue, allowing Aidoneus to free his right hand which he used to gesture for his brother to sit down with him.</p>
<p>            With some reluctance and an expression that was almost cold to Aidoneus, Zeus sat across from him cross-legged. “You need to back away from Hera.” He said flatly.</p>
<p>            Hearing those words made a lump form in Aidoneus’ throat. <em>How could he know I have feelings for her? I never told anyone about how I felt about her?</em> His mind reeled with questions. There was no way his younger brother, a man with the emotional intelligence of a rock, would pick up on his crush on his fiancée. In feeling so much anxiety bubble up in his chest, he began to laugh loudly. It was the most artificial laugh Aidoneus had ever heard himself make but he went with it realizing the reaction was confusing Zeus. “B-brother, I hav-ve no id-dea w-what you are t-talking ab-bout. Hera is y-your b-bride.” He assured between chuckles.</p>
<p>            Scrunching his dark eyebrows and squinting his violaceous eyes, it was obvious by his younger brother’s dramatics that Zeus was not believing a word out of Aidoneus’ mouth. It could have been the interrupted sleep cycle or just the well-known fact his brother was an asshole, but Aidoneus was beginning to feel the rage building in his chest. <em>Where does he get off being mad at me? I haven’t touched Hera.</em> He began to internalize. <em>Here he is, waking me up in the middle of the night, to just rub it in that he got her and I did not. He just admitted he knew I liked her and he just went and claimed her. I am not even sure she likes him. </em>That lump in his throat was now making it harder to swallow with all of the heat rising in his chest. He was sure his eyes were glowing crimson because he could feel the fire igniting in them. “I-I have not t-touch-hed-d her, Zeus,” Aidoneus said firmly through gritted teeth now, doing his best to contain his furor.</p>
<p>            Leaning back onto his tail bone, widening his eyes in a look of amusement at his eldest brother’s shift in demeanor before contorting back into a look of anger, his mouth opened. Just as his lips parted, the sound of rainfall pelting against the tent began followed by the bellowing of hurried winds. “I know you did not touch her brother.” He clipped. The response only led Aidoneus to look at him with a mixed expression of relief and confusion. “You did not touch her, but she was all over you!” He slammed his right fist against the floor of the tent, leaving a dent in the wooden floors. In the distance, thunder roared. “Why does she love you? What do you have that I do not?”</p>
<p>            Vocal silence hung in the room for what felt like an eternity in Aidoneus’ mind while he allowed his brother’s words to seep in. He wanted to remain calm and reasonable, he truly did, but as he processed Zeus’ words more, anger began to boil to the surface. The fiery tension in the azure god’s throat made his vocal cords sting under the stress of what was to come. “Y-you-u …y-you are the-e one that hu-urts her-r… aren-n’t y-you?” Were the only words Aidoneus could think to say in response. The older brother had no answer for why Hera seemed to gravitate towards him but stay with Zeus. Nevertheless, the bruise on Hera’s wrist came to his mind. Hera would have been too proud to admit such a thing had been going on. Still waiting for his brother’s reply, Aidoneus could now feel his rage start to manifest in the room because the temperature dropped at least thirty degrees and the lighting darkened. Wispy tentacles of black smog surrounded his large frame, enclosing the back half and sides of his body in a layer of the defensive umbra. “a-aren-n’t you?!” He asked louder this time, demanding an answer from his brother.</p>
<p>            Another growl of thunder shook the ground. Zeus lowered his gaze to avoid Aidoneus’ ireful eyes. “She said ‘yes’ to marrying me, Aidoneus. I thought she loved me…” This was the first time Aidoneus had seen his youngest brother shed a tear since he had first met their father while freeing them from his stomach.  It was strange finally seeing a man who had spent so much of his time hiding such self-determined ‘unmasculine’ emotions, allow those feelings to flood down his face now. Audibly large blobs of rain pelted down hard against the roof of Aidoneus’ tent in rapid unison, creating the quiet pseudo-sound of a drumroll. The weather was clearly intensifying with his brother’s emotions and how the rest of the camp had not come to look for him was beyond Aidoneus’ careful thought at the moment.</p>
<p>            “Tha-that-t giv-v-ves you no-o ri-ight to hu-urt-t her.” He could feel his vocal cords begin to falter more as his voice growled in a low hiss in his state of anger. Concentrating on his breaths, his umbra reduced slightly, taking up less of the floor to ceiling ratio and cradling itself closer to its wielder’s large frame. The shadowy, semi-translucent tentacles carefully wrapping around the front of Aidoneus like a ribcage to the lungs and heart. There was still no improvement in the lighting or warmth in the room, but the cold air somehow felt soothing on the fresh skin tears on his cracked, leathery skin.</p>
<p>            With his amethyst orbs remaining fixated on the ground closest to his feet. Allowing his long, straight locks to cover the majority of his tear-stained face, he faintly muttered only a few solemn words between sniffles. “I swear on the Styx I love her and I always will…” The thrum of the rain against the roof made his murmurs barely audible but Aidoneus was able to hear the weight of his words. Two bolts of lightning flashed in the sky overhead, providing a millisecond of bright light for the eldest brother to see the tears and ichor on his brother's right palm, signifying his oath to Styx.</p>
<p>            The brothers had only known each other for a handful of weeks, maybe some months. Time had blurred for the sapphire deity due to his weak constitution at the start of freedom. Yet, he had never known his violaceous brother to be a reliable man of his word. Zeus was never a serious one, however. Though here he was, making a commitment to Hera in the name of the goddess of oaths. If he failed to keep his oath, he would be cursed by Styx and shunned by other gods for a century. Aidoneus was unsure if Zeus understood the weight of his words. Regardless, the vow was already made.</p>
<p>            “Th-then-en this-is be-et-t-tween you and-d her-r, no-t-t me-e.” Aidoneus worked to force out in a flat tone. Hoping his brother got the message that he fucked up waking him up in the middle of the night for relationship therapy.</p>
<p>            Using one large, concord hand, Zeus combed his straight mane out of his face and moved his eyes to look up at his brother’s. “Well, it still wouldn’t kill you to tell her to stop hanging off of you?!” He snapped. His eyes quickly shifted from a dark violet to a luminous lavender. At the same time, another bolt of lightning fired through the sky, creating various intensities of bright light to shine through the tent’s fabric at superluminal speed.</p>
<p>            Shifting his weight deeper against the wall and tipping his head back in a cynical, baritone laugh. Aidoneus waited a few moments, until his laughter subsided, to speak so his vocal cords would not quaver. “That-t-t is so-o ric-ch-h com-ming-g from you, nymph-o.” He spoke in his most sing-song voice. <em>If Zeus could even count, I doubt he could still be able to tell Posie and I how many nymphs he has been sleeping with behind Hera’s back</em>, the mordant center of Aidoneus’ brain reeled with sardonic insults. His brain had to remind his facial muscles to keep the evil smile on his face from getting too big to prevent more breaks in his delicate integument.</p>
<p>            Rolling his eyes and folding his arms in frustration, “Fine, fine. Don’t get too excited there with the insults, you made your point.” Zeus snapped in annoyance.</p>
<p>            With his shadow remaining in a protective closure around his form, Aidoneus carefully maneuvered himself to his feet while keeping his eyes on his brother and being conscientious of his flimsy skin. “Then-n get you-ur shit t-t-to-g-gether-r, Z-zeus.” Aidoneus clipped. Crimson irises holding the attention of indigo orbs as the azure god hissed his final warning. After saying his piece, he walked over to the other end of the space where there were medical supplies and water to irrigate his lacerations with. With a wet cloth, he began to delicately wipe away at the dried ichor sticking to his skin in areas that he could reach. “I w-will al-l-lwa-ays be-e a fri-e-end-d to Hera-a. As lo-ong-g as s-she-e ne-e-eds me-e. M-mak-ke her-r happ-py f-for-r m-me.” He added after letting his first words stew in his idiot brother’s head for several moments while generously applying salve to his skin and rewrapping his arms and legs. In the morning, he would have to ask one of his other siblings to help him with the wounds he could not reach, this was not the type of task one would trust Zeus with.</p>
<p>            Zeus spun around in his seat on the floor to look in his brother’s direction immediately after he had spoken. “So you do love her!” He countered. Small streaks of static were slowly becoming visible around the crown of his head in a helter-skelter of static as he began to fume. When debating if to stand up and approach his brother or not, Aidoneus’ voice pulled him from his thoughts.</p>
<p>            As he was finishing wrapping his left arm, “I-I h-a-ave no int-tent wi-i-ith-h H-her-ra. A-as-s l-lo-ong-g a-as she-e is ha-ap-py.” The elder brother assured in a tired, irritated tone. Now he just wanted Zeus to leave so he could go to bed.</p>
<p>            Digesting his brother’s stuttered reassurance, his eyes looked up and down his brother’s frame studying Aidoneus’ physique and objective characteristics. Aidoneus’ sapphire skin was chemically burned and had healed to a revolting rugged appearance from the neck down from floating in their father’s stomach acid all those years. There were several areas around where the body would commonly bend and stretch that the skin had ripped apart from its lost elasticity, seeping ichor until it could heal once again. He wore ointment wrappings around the palms of his hands and feet all the way up to his arms, legs, and torso until they stopped at the middle of his neck. Reminding his younger brother of a mummified corpse. The long, wavy albicant tresses that weighed the crown of his head to the middle of his calves were much whiter than the ichor-stained bandages that dominated his body. So much so, that his hair seemed to almost have a slight, creepy sense of luminosity in the dark. Like almost every day, the robes and chitons he wore were grey or black to make washing ichor stains less of a strain on Hestia. This one only covered half of his chest and was knee length.</p>
<p>Feeling the paranoid sense of being visually undressed by someone. Aidoneus’ eyes glowed a hematic red and flashed in the direction of his brother. Meeting his violet stare, he raised his eyebrow at his brother with a glowering expression of irascibility.</p>
<p>Not realizing his brother had spotted him staring, his mind reeled, His eyes still shamelessly staring at his brother’s form. <em>There was no way Hera could choose Aidoneus over him</em>, the shallow, concord god pondered, <em>I am much stronger, smarter, and better looking than him. She would indeed be much happier with me, </em>Zeus told himself. Rising to his feet, he approached his brother while still keeping a safe distance from the pneumatophany surrounding his monstrous frame like a form of skeletal protection. “Then I will be sure to make Hera happy then, brother.” He mustered a small, toothless side smile. The intensity of the rain smashing against the roof of the tent lightened substantially and the wind ceased to push against the walls.</p>
<p>“W-e-ell good-d then-n.” Aidoneus’ face was now absent of emotion but his eyes still glowed a bloodshot red hue and his voice was low and petulant. “No-ow st-op-p st-star-ring at me-e li-ik-ke o-one of your-r sid-de ny-ym-ph-hs and l-let me-e sle-ep-p.” While he spoke, he allowed for his umbrage to dissolve back into himself, reabsorbing into his skin like water on desert dry sand, before shoving his brother to the tent’s entrance.</p>
<p>“I was not!” Zeus protested defensively.</p>
<p>“I w-won-n’t-t te-ell Posie-e if you don-n’t-t.” Aidoneus winked sarcastically before shoving his brother out of the tent and yelling out, “G-good-d n-night-t, Z-Zeus,” before shutting the tent closed.</p>
<hr/>
<p>            As the sun was breaking the horizon, an eye as blue as the Aegean Sea peered from the entrance of their tent. Pleased that no one was awake yet, the dainty frame of a feminine figure crept from the tent and skulked away to the east towards the hot springs beyond the tree line surrounding the camp. There were five small warm pools at the springs that were enclosed by a dense circumference of trees. Swiveling her head to scout her surroundings for unwanted guests, her face carried an exhausted but feral expression. Her mind was mentally prepared to chase anyone away from her one chance at alone time.</p>
<p>After taking one final visual sweep of her surroundings for anyone, she approached the middle-most spring that allowed her to be submerged from the neck down. For some reason, she felt most drawn to this spring because the shape reminded her of the side profile of a rabbit and she loved to float in the ears. Goosebumps on her arms and legs formed as her emerald green robe slid off of her shoulders, puddling at the ground and blending with the grass, and the cold morning breeze immediately chilled against her aureate skin. The hot spring water relieved her skin’s discomfort as soon as she slid into the steamy pool. Since this was her morning bath, she immediately went to wetting her hair in the water and massaging her scalp with her long nails.</p>
<p>After cleansing her body and applying floral oils to her hair and skin, Hera laid on her back, floating in the center of the lapin-shaped pool. The water filling into her ear canals muffled the sound of the world above sea-level, leaving her only to hear the shifts and echoes of the water below. No matter how serene she felt finally being able to get away from Zeus, her large, aquamarine eyes were still searching for an intruder and her face still in an anxious contortion. <em>Does the paranoia ever go away?</em> She wondered with an exasperated sigh. As her lungs deflated in excess, her body sunk further into the depths of the water, forcing her to swim vertically using a flutter kick.</p>
<p>Returning to the edge of grass closest to her clothes, she started to think paranoia was not the right word because sitting perched on a cypress tree just two feet from her robe was a purple martin. The memories of the damned vibrantly colored bird with the injured wing flooded her mind and she felt the pressure in her head build from her burning rage. <em>Apparently, those birds do not even live in Greece</em>, she internally chastised herself for being so stupid. She was glad her wet face made her teary eyes a little less obvious, she wanted to remain strong.</p>
<p>Keeping her eyes locked on the violaceous bird with a murderous glare, “Zeus, I want to be alone!” She snipped while hugging her body to the edge of the spring to keep herself covered.</p>
<p>The small bird blinked at Hera a few times, contemplating her words. Eventually, the bird fluttered away from its perch and then shifted into a tall, muscular god with violet skin. His hair was down straight past his shoulders and his white chiton a one-shoulder, leaving his muscular chest wide open, with a mid-thigh length skirt. As always when Zeus wanted something, he wore his overly jovial visage that pissed Hera off to no end.</p>
<p>The homicidal scowl in her light blue eyes never changed as her fiancé advanced his position closer to her. “For the love of Gaia, Zeus, I am serious. Go away.” The volume and threatening urge in her voice increased. “I want to be alone. Especially from you!”</p>
<p>Stopping less than a foot from her, his above-ground form towering over her submerged frame. Hera craned her neck to meet his eyes. There was no anger showing across his face yet, but that was inevitable with these confrontations. “You know if you keep your face like that, it will stay stuck like that, right?” Zeus finally piped, his expression roguish.</p>
<p>If Hera did not control her anger, she might die of a cardiac arrest without even aging past two decades. It almost seemed as if a vein had popped in her forehead from her fiancé’s audacious dalliance. Taking a moment to adjust her approach on how to deal with her idiot fiancé, she rubbed her eyes till she saw phosphenes twinkle in her vision. “Why are you here, Zeus? What do you want? It is way too early for our cat and dog bullshit.” She groaned.</p>
<p>Zeus’ face lit up being given a question that could possibly earn him some points with Hera. “I was hoping to spend time with you!” His voice was once again too cheery for Hera’s liking. “I know we do not always get along well and I was hoping more time with just us could fix that.” He tried to muster the sincerest tone he could to win Hera.</p>
<p>At one point in time, she was attracted to the youngest son of Cronus. The three brothers had all inherited the physical characteristics of their father but the sons wore them in a much more charming way. The defined jawlines and thick, straight eyebrows that framed their hawk-like eyes. Whilst both Zeus and Aidoneus’ faces were like their father’s, shaped like a diamond with defined cheekbones, Poseidon’s was more like his mother’s, square but still chiseled. Zeus had always been the most outspoken of the three, his silver tongue and dreamy, amethyst irises could inveigle any sorry girl onto an empty patch of grass with him. Those sweet nothings they shared still ran through her head every time she thought of him. It felt like her mind was betraying her broken heart. He had hurt her too much. One cannot just force a woman into submission and expect unconditional love to follow. Nonetheless, she was still carrying his child and had promised this man an eternity. <em>Eternity…</em>that word still made her stomach queasy.</p>
<p> “I appreciate you trying harder, Zeus, I really do.” Hera acquiesced, the uncertainty on her face still very much apparent. “But let’s plan on later, like I said, I want time alone.” She hoped this could buy her some private time to put on more modest clothes and speak to her sisters quickly.</p>
<p>The violet deity may be known to lack emotional intelligence, but one would have to have been an absolute idiot not to see the anxiety that tensed the muscles on Hera’s face. After talking with his brother last night, he was sure that this was his fault and he would somehow have to make amends. His eyes peered down at the neurotic goddess that was still submerged in the spring huddled against the edge of land. All he could see were her two hands and her head that rested on the ledge of grass she was holding onto. The orange marks on her wrist were still contrasting darkly against her bright skin with the impressions of large, muscular fingers taking shape in the mesh of ichor under the skin. <em>Were there more bruises that he had made?</em> Zeus tried to reflect back on his actions.</p>
<p>Zeus knelt down to the ground to get closer to Hera’s eye level in an attempt to look less like a dominating figure. “Bunny,” He spoke so softly it caught Hera off guard. She had never seen this gentler side of him before. “I know I have fucked up so many times. I can see how much I have hurt you.” His violaceous orbs shifted to the bruises on her wrist causing Hera’s saltwater eyes to follow. Her head slumped at the memory of her trying to walk away from their laughable argument over sharing a tent. While keeping his eyes on her face, he gingerly reached for the discolored wrist till it rested limp in one of his large palms. Without any resilience in her face and posture, he proceeded to stroke the back of her hand and wrist lightly with two of his fingers on his other hand.</p>
<p>“Though I do not deserve it… I would like to make things right with you, Hera. For our marriage… For our baby…” The ambrosial words slipping through his teeth were sweet as honey. They were everything Hera’s broken heart needed to hear. This was that part of the dream where she falls for the trap but her conscience wakes her up from the lie, reminding her to never fall for the deception of men. Except for this time she did not wake up. Her mind was spinning with choices and scenarios, trying to consider what was the best way to guard her barely healing heart.</p>
<p>The concord fingers stroking lightly against the surface of her skin began to emit lavender light that was so striking it could have been mistaken for white. Radiant light wrapped around her wrist and a small portion of her forearm, completely covering the bruise blotching her skin. Flickering her eyes back up to Zeus, his hair was levitating in the air and swishing in the magic-made wind like a violescent river.</p>
<p>Once the heliotrope starlight faded into her skin completely, there was no trace of any discoloration on her wrist left. She lifted her wrist closer to her eyes and studied it from every angle. Cronus and Rhea were both fertility deities. It would come to no surprise that their sons would also have fertility powers, but did Zeus have to use them now? Hera’s heart pounded against her sternum like a drum, realizing he was truly trying to make amends with her. The rational side of her brain wanted to smack the naivety out of the emotional half. “Zeus…” She whispered so softly it was almost inaudible.</p>
<p>Sky blue eyes met with adamantine irises. Both of their hearts were thrumming like that of hummingbirds, feeling newly awakened hope for their relationship. He held his hand out to her, offering to pull her from the spring and join him on dry land. “Please give me another chance to prove that I love you, Bunny?” There was a sense of urgency in his plea, it almost unnerved Hera.</p>
<p><em>When is Zeus ever serious like this?</em> The question flashed through Hera’s mind. Her eyes flickered between the hand offered to her and the violet eyes of her fiancé. The more she analyzed the thought, the more she became skeptical of his intentions. <em>He doesn’t want me with anyone else, </em>she finally concluded, <em>he will just string me along while he continues to cheat</em>. Finally deciding to Tartarus with hiding her naked body from a man she has already slept with a handful of times, she pulled herself from the spring and grabbed her towel.</p>
<p>While drying her hair she spoke, “I’m happy to see you putting effort into this relationship and our child, Zeus. But like I said, I still need some time to myself before we do anything today.” Her voice was polite but still firm. There did not need to be eyes in the back of her head or a gift of psychic vision for Hera to know Zeus was crouching his body to see her body in every unorthodox angle he could while she was busy drying with her back turned to him.</p>
<p>“But Bunny…” He groaned in that childish whine that made her want to kick him into the spring while she still had the chance. “I already made all of the arrangements for the day. I just know you are going to love it…”</p>
<p>Doing her best to ignore the fact her betrothed was a debauchee, she wrapped her hair in the towel and her body back in its emerald robe once she was adequately dry. “Zeus,” She cut him off before he could speak any further. “I said I need time. Learn to start accepting ‘no’ as an answer if you want to live the married life.” She snapped, her eyes were wide with rage, once again feral and her nostrils flared as her mouth bared her canines.</p>
<p>Blue and purple eyes glared at each other for several moments. Vocal silence hung in the air once again. Hera made the first move, attempting to march back in the direction of camp without him on her tail. Zeus rushed after her, reaching for her wrist to yank her back to him. “Is this because you love Aidoneus more than me.” His voice half yelled and half croaked. There was a tightening sensation from his esophagus to the center of his chest, the words hurt him to say and he dreaded the answer.</p>
<p>Hera yelped in pain being pulled back and fell to her feet, tears falling out of her eyes when she found that the bruise returned on her wrist accompanied with her shoulder being dislocated. Sitting so she was leaning back onto her sacrum, she held her crippled arm close to her heart and used her free arm and legs to push herself away from Zeus. If her heart was broken already, it had just been ground into dust now. Their eyes never left each other, both wide with bewilderment and fear.</p>
<p>Aidoneus’ words weighed in Zeus’ conscience like a boulder, <em>“Tha-that-t giv-v-ves you no-o ri-ight to hu-urt-t her.”</em> The concord god shook his head in denial that he had done it again to Hera. Yet here she was crumpled on the ground before him in tears. “My gods, Hera…” His body shook as he tried to approach her slowly, reaching out with only one hand for aid, hoping to not alarm her. “I am so, so sorry…” He could feel his vocal cords shake as he struggled to hold back tears.</p>
<p>As he advanced closer to her, Hera scooted herself further away as quickly as she could. Her body was shivering from terror. “You are the father of my child and my betrothed. I never had romantic feelings for Aidoneus,” She lied about Aidoneus but she wanted him to hurt as he had just hurt her. “But Aidoneus never hurt me like you have, Zeus.” Her sharp tongue was like a knife twisting into Zeus’ chest. Rising to her feet, Hera could read the hurt in his eyes, and was satisfied, she walked away from where he stood. Still recovering from Hera’s harrowing words, Zeus stood frozen in place, eyes fixated to one position and his breathing near absent. She was done with Zeus.</p>
<hr/>
<p>            Tension in the soles of his feet and knees pulled Zeus from his trance. There was little indication for how long he had been standing there but his feet and lower limb muscles ached from being stationary and Helios’ rays were almost at their peak overhead. His stomach growled from skipping breakfast to keep up with Hera. He groaned realizing he would have to somehow talk his way through his issues with Hera eventually. In the meantime, he made his way back to camp, hoping Hestia had some food ready for him to eat.</p>
<p>            Breaking through the tree line and entering camp, he could see there were not many people around the fire, but the round, titian figure of the eldest of Metis’ daughters was near the fire charring venison on carved skewers. Glad to see one of his favorites being made, he strode towards the circle of seats surrounding the blaze and sat in a seat close to the food table. “Hestia!” He greeted buoyantly, “is the food almost ready? It smells wonderful.”</p>
<p>            Though her yellow-blonde hair was pulled back into a massive, messy bun, several pieces of baby hairs had escaped the confines to frame the eldest goddess’ visage. As she turned to look over at Zeus, she tucked a mass of baby hairs behind her ears, “Go ahead and make yourself a plate, Zeus. I am just finishing the last batch of meat. Just don’t eat it all like last time or you can go hunt instead of Aidoneus next time.” She muttered while turning her focus back to the meat she was expertly crisping.</p>
<p>            “Relax, Hestia, we have an agreement. Aidoneus hunts land animals, Poseidon does water, and I do the sky. We work to our strengths.” He said reassuringly before taking a big bite of his venison.</p>
<p>            Hestia turned back to Zeus after her inferno-colored irises did a full circle, “And what difficult food is there to hunt in the sky, Zeus? Because ducks do not have me cowering in fear.” She quipped.</p>
<p>            Snickers came from the opposite side of the bonfire pit that Zeus could have sworn was empty. His eyes shot up from Hestia to the giggles that were now increasing in volume. In seats directly across from him were Aidoneus and Hera. Aidoneus had one gauze-wrapped arm behind Hera, supporting her back since the seats were only cut logs from a tree stump. Hera’s head was leaning back onto his shoulder, looking up at him with a big smile on her face. She was no longer supporting her injured arm from the dislocated shoulder and the bruise on her wrist was once again gone. <em>Did Aidoneus heal her?</em> Zeus asked internally. <em>Since when can he heal people?</em></p>
<p>            Trying to brush off the affection that was being displayed between his brother and betrothed before him, he attempted to take nibbles of his meat and vegetables again. He continued to chew at his food, unable to swallow it, until it turned into a foul-textured mass on his tongue that forced him to gag and spit it onto his plate. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice his unsightly action. Though his subconscious told him not to do it, he looked back towards Hera and Aidoneus to see Hera giving him a peck on the lips. Her eyes never flashed up at him to show him it was a game or that she was just testing his temperament. This was real and she meant it. Zeus could feel his heart sink into his stomach and knew there was no way he was going to eat any more today.</p>
<p>            <em> “I-I h-a-ave no int-tent wi-i-ith-h H-her-ra. A-as-s l-lo-ong-g a-as she-e is ha-ap-py.”</em> Aidoneus’ stupid stutter played on repeat in the back of Zeus’ head. “Fuck.” Zeus whispered to himself. How could he have lost to his weak, older brother? It was obvious Hera was already trying to move on but Zeus was not so quick to drop things. Even if it meant he had to make it so he was the only god available in Hera’s eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am featuring the gods with powers not yet demonstrated since we have not seen many of their abilities yet. Also, the plot may be getting ugly now, just remember everyone is family- even if Zeus is kind of a butthead. They are immortal after all, grudges don't last.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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